Before the Flood (film)

Before the Flood

Promotional release poster
Directed by Fisher Stevens
Produced by Fisher Stevens
Leonardo DiCaprio
Jennifer Davisson Killoran
James Packer
Brett Ratner
Trevor Davidoski
Music by Gustavo Santaolalla
Trent Reznor
Atticus Ross
Mogwai
Distributed by National Geographic
Release dates
  • October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)
Running time
 96 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English

Before the Flood is a 2016 documentary film about climate change directed by Fisher Stevens. The film was produced by a collaboration between Stevens, Leonardo DiCaprio, James Packer, Brett Ratner, Trevor Davidoski, and Jennifer Davisson Killoran. Martin Scorsese is an executive producer.[2]

As revealed by DiCaprio on September 9, 2016 at the Toronto International Film Festival, the documentary has debuted October 30, 2016 on the National Geographic Channel.[3][4] As part of National Geographic's commitment to covering climate change, the documentary was made widely available and free of charge on various platforms.[5]

Background

At the European premiere in London in October 2016, DiCaprio introduced the film as follows:

"Before The Flood is the product of an incredible three-year journey that took place with my co-creator and director Fisher Stevens. We went to every corner of the globe to document the devastating impacts of climate change and questioned humanity's ability to reverse what may be the most catastrophic problem mankind has ever faced. There was a lot to take on. All that we witnessed on this journey shows us that our world's climate is incredibly interconnected and that it is at urgent breaking point.(...)
We wanted to create a film that gave people a sense of urgency, that made them understand what particular things are going to solve this problem. We bring up the issue of a carbon tax, for example, which I haven't seen in a lot of documentaries. Basically, sway a capitalist economy to try to invest in renewables, to bring less money and subsidies out of oil companies. These are the things that are really going to make a massive difference. (...) We need to use our vote ... We cannot afford to have political leaders out there that do not believe in modern science or the scientific method or empirical truths … We cannot afford to waste time having people in power that choose to believe in the 2 percent of the scientific community that is basically bought off by lobbyists and oil companies."[6]

Content

The film shows DiCaprio visiting various regions of the globe[7] exploring the impact of man-made global warming.[8] As a narrator, DiCaprio comments these encounters as well as archive footages. DiCaprio repeatedly references a 15th-century triptych by Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, which he uses as an analogy of the present course of the world toward potential ruin as depicted on its final panel.[9] The film also documents, in part, the production of DiCaprio's 2015 film The Revenant.

DiCaprio's comments and inquiries focus extensively on climate change denial, mostly among corporate lobbyists and politicians of the United States.[10][11]

Cast

Along with DiCaprio, the documentary's subjects include Barack Obama, Pope Francis, Sunita Narain, Anote Tong, John Kerry, Elon Musk, Alejandro Inarritu, Piers Sellers and Johan Rockström.[1][4]

Broadcast and streaming

The film was made available freely on the internet after having aired on the National Geographic Channel[12] in 171 countries and on some countries' national television channels; [13] versions for non-English audiences include subtitles in 45 different languages.[14]

The film had been watched more than 2 million times on the day following its airing.[15]

Reception

Critical response

The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 70% approval rating, based on 27 reviews.[16] On Metacritic, it has a score of 63 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[17]

Before the Flood was described as "surprisingly moving" in W[18] and as "a heartfelt, decent, educational documentary about the most important issue of our time" by The Guardian.[19]

Variety praised the fact that "given the sincerity of its message, its ability to assemble such a watchable and comprehensive account gives it an undeniable urgency", stating that "where the film succeeds the most is by focusing on the ground-level victims of climate change, whether the polar bears of the Arctic, or the inhabitants of island nations like Kiribati".[20]

Accolades

Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Hollywood Film Awards Hollywood Documentary Award Leonardo DiCaprio and Fisher Stevens Won [21]

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack was written and performed by Mogwai, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Gustavo Santaolalla.[1][22]

References

  1. 1 2 3 DeFore, John (9 September 2016). "'Before the Flood': Film Review - TIFF 2016". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Before the Flood". IMDB. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  3. ↑ "DiCaprio unveils climate change film 'Before the Flood'". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  4. 1 2 "President Obama Urges Swift Action on Climate Change". News.nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved 2016-10-24.
  5. ↑ Chow, Lorraine (25 October 2016). "Watch Leonardo DiCaprio's climate change doc online for free". EcoWatch. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  6. ↑ "7 Key Scenes in Leonardo DiCaprio's Climate Film 'Before the Flood'".
  7. ↑ Times, Los Angeles. "Leonardo DiCaprio crosses the globe in the climate change documentary 'Before the Flood'". latimes.com. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  8. ↑ "Guarda Before the Flood, il documentario di DiCaprio contro il cambiamento climatico - Wired". Wired (in Italian). 2016-10-30. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  9. ↑ "DiCaprio's 'Before the Flood' explores a different inconvenient truth: Human nature". Fusion. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  10. ↑ Halls, Eleanor. "Leonardo DiCaprio almost died making his documentary Before The Flood". British GQ. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  11. ↑ "Director 'horrified' by Alta. oilsands scenes in DiCaprio's 'Before The Flood'". CTVNews. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  12. ↑ "New documentary "Before The Flood" to air globally on NatGeo on October 30th - Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation : Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation". leonardodicaprio.org. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  13. ↑ "National Geographic Channel e RTP unidas contra as alterações climáticas - Estreia de "Before the Flood" | Extra | RTP". Extra (in Portuguese). 2016-10-26. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  14. ↑ "Avant le film "Before the Flood", comment DiCaprio a montré son engagement pour la planète". Franceinfo (in French). 2016-10-30. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  15. ↑ Observador. "Documentário de Leonardo DiCaprio sobre alterações climáticas faz sucesso na Internet". Observador. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  16. ↑ Before the Flood at Rotten Tomatoes
  17. ↑ Before the Flood at Metacritic
  18. ↑ Sagansky, Gillian. "Leonardo DiCaprio's Climate Change Documentary "Before the Flood" Is Incredibly Moving". W Magazine. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  19. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (2016-10-20). "Before the Flood review – DiCaprio's level-headed climate change doc". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  20. ↑ Barker, Andrew (2016-10-21). "Film Review: 'Before the Flood'". Variety. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  21. ↑ "Leonardo DiCaprio & Fisher Stevens to Be Honored". Hollywood Film Awards. November 2, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Trent Reznor, Mogwai and more team to score Leonardo DiCaprio climate change documentary". Factmag. 9 September 2016.

External links

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