film analysis
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6-3 Film Analysis
Arianna Reiley
For my film analysis, I've chosen the film "An Inconvenient Truth," a 2006 documentary
presented by former U.S. President Al Gore about the global warming and climate change crisis.
Following his defeat in the presidential election, Al Gore set out to research and advocate for this
topic, collaborating with learned climate change scientists to raise awareness on the topic.
The goal of this film is to deliver an easily digestible narrative about climate change and
global warming, consisting of a multi-media presentation made up of Gore's extensive research,
scientific data, personal stories, and visual aids. Some of the key ideas expressed within the film
are the causes and impacts of climate change, the ways in which human activity has harmed our
planet and atmosphere, greenhouse gas emissions, and more. Climate change is a center point of
the film; "An Inconvenient Truth" goes into detail about various aspects of this crisis, like the
increased frequency of severe weather events, rising global temperatures, the melting of the ice
caps, and the imbalance of the world's ecosystem. Much of the data used in the film comes from
credible, reliable sources, such as the IPCC, or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
NASA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The evidence portrayed in
the film consists of climate assessments and visual aids such as charts, graphs, and photographs
to accurately depict the crises that are global warming and climate change, while also presenting
them in a way that makes sense to the audience. The combination of credible sources and
meaningful visual aids give the film a strong foundation from the start.
"An Inconvenient Truth" is an incredible film that can be used to further spread
awareness about climate change and global warming, but the film has as many weaknesses as it
has strengths. When it comes to communicating some of the more complex aspects of climate
change and global warming, the film succeeds as presenting data in such a way that is easy to
understand for the general public who may not have a background in the topic. The combination
of personal experiences, visual aids, and storytelling combined with scientific data not only
informs the audience but keeps them engaged; the film excels in creating an emotional and
motivating response from its audience, expressing that climate change and global warming are
not just temporary issues, but will also threaten any generations that come after us. The film's
foundation of scientific data and its accompanying personal anecdotes connect the audience to
the issue, encouraging them to raise awareness within their own communities and become hands-
on with the topic at hand, expressing that action is the only way to tackle the very real threats of
climate change and global warming.
Some of its weaknesses lie in political bias, oversimplification of the topic, as well as a
distinct lack of diverse perspectives. First and foremost, Al Gore’s background as a political
figure and as the main speaker of the film have led to criticism; those with political views that do
not align with Gore’s and their preexisting perception of him as a figure are likely to be less
inclined to connect to and care about the severity of the topic at hand. The film is also presented
largely with Gore’s ideas and experiences, and while this may allow for a more streamlined,
focused narrative, the lack of diverse perspectives is most certainly a weakness. Furthermore,
climate change and global warming are multi-faceted, complex topics, and while the film
succeeds in delivering scientific data and research to the audience in a way that is easily
digestible, some of the more nuanced aspects of the topic are either ignored, not fully explained,
or oversimplified. All of these things lessen the impact of the film.
Initially premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, “An Inconvenient Truth” faced both
critical acclaim and criticism for its message. Its goal of raising awareness about the severity of
climate change and global warming was met, as the film was distributed globally to schools,
major television networks, and various worldwide organizations for further educational purposes.
Expressing just how dire these issues are, “An Inconvenient Truth” was a call to action,
contributing to a global shift in understanding about the topic; following its release in 2006,
climate-related issues were the forefront of media coverage, leading to more public awareness,
social engagement through progressive actions, and fostering personal responsibility within those
that engaged with the film (Cook, 2016). Following the film’s critical acclaim and public
success, the Climate Reality Project was created, an organization established by Al Gore in order
to further raise awareness and promote action regarding climate change policies around the
world. Since its creation, The Climate Reality Project has hosted various workshops and events
that continue to educate the public on the severity of climate-change and global warming, as well
as publicly supporting initiatives and changes regarding the topic.
A few concepts of sustainability can be applied to the film, such as directionality,
carrying capacity, and conditions of opportunity. Placed within the context of sustainability,
directionality refers to the trajectory of current global trends and environmental impacts, both
negative and positive, and whether or not this trajectory is leaning towards a more sustainable
future. “An Inconvenient Truth” uses scientific evidence to demonstrate that the current
trajectory of our actions and the ways in which we interact with our environment are not only
harmful but are detrimental and are leading to irreversible damage towards our planet. Some
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examples of this are global warming (increased global temperatures) that results in the melting of
our ice caps and subsequently the rising sea level, as well as the increased frequency of severe
weather events. Using directionality as a concept, “An Inconvenient Truth” expresses that in
order to shift the trajectory we are currently heading towards, we need to take sudden action and
employ more sustainable practices. Carrying capacity, when it relates to sustainability and the
context of the film, refers to how much our planet can support, both resource-use wise and
population wise. The film expresses that the current trends of resource use and population
increase are pushing the Earth’s carrying capacity beyond what is sustainable for future
generations. Not only that, but we are destroying our ecosystems by exploiting its limited
resources and damaging our atmosphere through releasing greenhouse gas emissions; “An
Inconvenient Truth” states that in order to mitigate and reverse the negative impacts on our
environment, a shift towards green practices and technologies, resource management, and a
reduction of our ecological footprint is necessary. Conditions of opportunity are the ways in
which global issues, in this instance climate change and global warming, can be analyzed and
addressed through possible solutions. “An Inconvenient Truth” suggests multiple conditions of
opportunity, such as switching to renewable energy sources, environmental conservation, and
public engagement in order to tackle climate change and global warming.
These conditions of opportunity lead to the ways in which communities can respond to
the issues of climate change and global warming. One of the main points of the film is that action
is not only necessary but
dire
. In order to further spread awareness about these topics, the film
can be shown in public schools, universities, and even within one’s own community, allowing for
classroom and community discussion and engagement. These discussions and the sense of
urgency expressed in the film can lead individuals to want to take action; community
engagement and advocacy can further aid in change through things like political action and
switching to more sustainable practices. Communities can take the next steps towards mitigating
the impacts of climate change and global warming through advocacy for legislative changes,
switching to renewable resources, environmental conservation and protection, public awareness,
and community collaboration. While climate change and global warming are complex issues that
require extensive cooperation to combat, we can start by creating policies that aid in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions and incentivize communities to adopt more sustainable practices.
Some of these practices can include but are not limited to sustainable agriculture, the
conservation and reforestation of our planet, and the development of green, sustainable
technology. But, as was the goal of “An Inconvenient Truth,” the first step towards actually
creating change is to make the public aware of the severity of climate change and global
warming: education and raising awareness will only further lead to the public taking action.
Human and Environmental Sustainable Community Development, or HESCD, is a key
point of this course, and "An Inconvenient Truth" aligns with many of its principles. HESCD
states that sustainability is not just an environmental need, but also a human need. The
relationship between us and our environment is directly related to sustainability: we cannot
thrive unless we take care of our environment. The film expresses that climate change and global
warming are threats to us in the present but also to our future generations; it recognizes that
without community engagement and personal action, we cannot enact change and mitigate these
crises. Combined with the concepts of directionality, carrying capacity, and conditions of
opportunity, the message is this: if we do not act now, there will not
be
a future, or a planet for us
to take care of.
Works Cited
Cook, J. (2016, May 30). Ten years on: how Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth made its mark.
Retrieved October 8, 2023, from The Conversation website: https://theconversation.com/ten-
years-on-how-al-gores-an-inconvenient-truth-made-its-mark-59387
Charts and figures from “An Inconvenient Truth.” (2023). Retrieved October 8, 2023, from
Smallpond.ca website: https://smallpond.ca/jim/ref/inconvenientTruth/
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