Before the Flood (film)
Before the Flood is a 2016 documentary film about climate change directed by Fisher Stevens. The film was produced as a collaboration between Stevens, Leonardo DiCaprio, James Packer, Brett Ratner, Trevor Davidoski, and Jennifer Davisson Killoran. Martin Scorsese is an executive producer.[3]
Before the Flood
Mark Monroe
- Fisher Stevens
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Jennifer Davisson
- James Packer
- Brett Ratner
- Trevor Davidoski
Leonardo DiCaprio
Antonio Rossi
Brett Banks
Geoffrey Rickman
Abhay Sofsky
Ben Sozanski
- October 21, 2016
96 minutes[2]
United States
English
The film covers effects of climate change in various regions of the world, and discusses climate change denial. Numerous public figures are interviewed in the documentary. To offset the carbon emissions of the production, the filmmakers paid a voluntary carbon tax. The soundtrack features compositions by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Mogwai and Gustavo Santaolalla.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2016, and was released theatrically on October 21, before airing on the National Geographic Channel on October 30.[4][5] As part of National Geographic's commitment to covering climate change, the documentary was made widely available and free of charge on various platforms.[6] It received generally positive critical reviews.
Cast[edit]
Along with DiCaprio, the documentary's subjects include Piers Sellers, Barack Obama, Pope Francis, Sunita Narain, Anote Tong, John Kerry, Elon Musk, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Johan Rockström, Greg Mankiw, Gidon Eshel, Farwiza Farhan,[15] Ian Singleton,[16] Lindsey Allen,[17] Jeremy Jackson,[18] Thomas Remengesau Jr.,[19] Alvin Lin,[20] Ma Jun, Michael E. Mann, Philip Levine, Jason E. Box, Dr. Enric Sala,[21] Michael Brune, and Ban Ki-Moon.[2][5]
Subjects for the DVD's extra or deleted scenes include: Mark Z. Jacobson, Steven Chu, Andrew Baker,[22] Ben Kirtman,[23] and Sala. Topics include education, politics, coral, hurricanes, and urgency.
Broadcast and streaming[edit]
The film was made available freely on the internet between October 30 and November 6, 2016, the run up to US Election Day, having aired on the National Geographic Channel[24] in 171 countries and on some countries' national television channels.[25] The film is subtitled in 45 languages, making it accessible for non-English audiences.[26] The film had been viewed more than 2 million times on the day following its release.[27] Within weeks, it had been viewed by more than 60 million people, making it arguably one of the most watched documentaries in history.[28] As of November 2022, it is available for streaming on Disney+.
Carbon tax[edit]
The film takes a closer look into the possibility of a carbon tax benefiting the American nation. In addition, they state that, "the carbon emissions from Before the Flood were offset through a voluntary carbon tax."[29][30]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 75% approval rating, based on 32 reviews with an average score of 7.0/10. The website's critics' consensus reads, "A fervent call to action where there is no time to waste, lest our future be left in the mud; Leonardo DiCaprio makes it his mission to deliver this urgent message Before the Flood."[31] On Metacritic, it has a score of 63 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[32]
Before the Flood was described as "surprisingly moving" in W[33] and as "a heartfelt, decent, educational documentary about the most important issue of our time" by The Guardian.[34]
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."[35]