The Bible tells a tale of a large flood and a man, Noah, who builds a boat to avoid it.
“Before the Flood,” a new documentary by Academy Award winning actor and United Nations messenger of peace Leonardo DiCaprio, tells a similar tale, one of a man who is on a quest to prevent the flood from happening.
The film orbits around the idea of a three-sectioned art piece, “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by painter Hieronymus Bosch. The three sections represent the birth and decay of Earth, starting with the Garden of Eden and ending with a demonic world in which the deadly sins have taken grasp of humanity. The middle section represents somewhat of a mixture between the two, a modern utopia.
“Before the Flood” focuses on present Earth heading toward the third diagram, one where greed and consumerism have ruined the planet.
DiCaprio’s riveting documentary was filmed on a global adventure over the span of three years, taking place on several different continents and in several different climates.
Key locations include American oil fields, polar ice caps in northern Alaska and in coastal cities such as Miami.
His tale captivates viewers, showing the viewers the effects of rising global temperatures and how they pose a threat to the polar ice caps along with coastal cities.
Throughout the film DiCaprio meets with various world leaders, such as President Barack Obama and Pope Francis, to discuss climate change resolutions and the impending threat of rising temperatures.
Viewers shouldn’t be discouraged, though. DiCaprio highlights key things members of the human race can do to stall the advancement of rising temperatures, as well as negate the effects in the long run.
This film is significantly aided by high-quality filmmaking done on behalf of National Geographic, too. High quality images of landscape and wildlife aid a powerful narrative on DiCaprio’s part, combining into an A-grade documentary.
“Before the Flood” is a must watch for all. Documentary fans will relish the high quality film and climate change skeptics will see issues presented in a new light, aside from what mainstream media touches on.