A DEVASTATING TRUTH

ELEVEN years after the release of the hard-hitting in cinemas, former United States Vice President Al Gore follows up with a sequel to the documentary,titled

Directed by Bonni Chen and Jon Shenk, cameras follow closely behind the man who continues his tireless fight against climate change and global warming. He attempts to persuade governmental leaders to invest in renewable energy at the Paris Climate Agreement.

The film follows Gore as he visits climate change-affected regions such as typhoonhit Philippines and melting ice sheets in Greenland. The visuals are eye-opening and devastating.

I didn’t get to watch the first instalment, but reviews said that the 2006 documentary was notably dry even though it won two Academy Awards.

The first half of the second documentary is focused on what Gore has been up to since

It includes shots of the recent US presidential campaign, which saw Trump become president.

Gore describes Trump’s win as a punch in the face and meets him to make his plea for governmental change. The movie is peppered with chilling facts of our perilous environmental situations which Gore shares through the educational seminars he hosts in countries around the world.

But a large chunk of the documentary highlights how battling climate change and global warming can be trumped by big businesses and politics. For example, he pitched the idea of launching a satellite called Discovery to chart atmospheric changes and emissions from space by orbiting the sun in tandem with Earth, but the launch of the satellite was delayed during the first year of President Bush’s administration. It was only approved during President Barack Obama’s administration.

I like how the documentary includes a hint of Gore’s past. Cameras follow him to his home where he reflects on his early days after losing his 2000 presidential bid and decides to pursue this pressing issue of global warming. He reflects on his family and hisgrandchildren too.

As he talks to the camera, you realise his efforts to make the world a better place are genuine.

Sadly, not everyone is on the same page. In a current movie landscape where action and thrillers get the most of our attention, it’s refreshing to watchdocumentaries. It’s a story about us, our home and the dangers that will continue to threaten our planet if we don’t do anything to fix them.

This documentary isn’t about waking people up to the issue. already did that. It’s about getting people to continue to be engaged in this topic.Syahirah