|
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth
to Power
| Released |
18 August 2017 |
| Director(s) |
Bonni Cohen, Joni Shenk |
| Starring |
Al Gore |
Producer(s)
|
Richard Berge, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
97 minutes |
| Genre |
Documentary |
| Rating |
PG |
|
|
A sea change.
As human beings, we have a remarkable ability to compartmentalise our irresponsible behaviours. We know that we shouldn’t smoke that cigarette, eat that double cheeseburger or pollute our environment but somehow we are able to sort these little fears into a file marked "Not my problem." If we find ourselves in bad health, we’ll pass the responsibility onto the advertising that sold us that double cheeseburger, the peer pressure that made us smoke that cigarette or the capitalist society that made it impossible to live an environmentally friendly life. After all, we are only dots on the landscape of humanity, what good can we really do?
Former Vice President Al Gore has been on a personal mission to snap society out of this thinking since before the release of his Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth in 2006 and now, over ten years later, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power aims to continue this work. As a historical document, An Inconvenient Sequel is tremendously interesting. Interspersing footage from Gore’s educational slide-show with footage of climate-influenced extreme weather, we follow Gore and his team as they prepare for the Climate Summit in Paris. Watching this campaign go from the highs of the Climate Accord to the lows of Donald Trump’s climate-change denying presidency, is riveting. Gore himself makes for a genial and knowledgeable host throughout these events and the observational camerawork of directors Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk is a subtle companion.
At times, the editing of the film seems a little rushed and I felt the film would have benefitted from spending a little more time with, for example, the displaced Filipino people but to be fair to the directors, there was a lot of information to put across in a limited time frame and overall they did an excellent job. Like its predecessor, An Inconvenient Sequel should be required viewing. In a time where facts and accountability are receiving a pummelling in political life, this scientifically-led crusading should be applauded.
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Linda O’Brien |
