Feel the heat.
I am not a scientist. That doesn't feel like it should be a necessary statement at the top of a review of a documentary, however when it is a film about climate change that is being reviewed, it becomes more important. As a non-scientist, I am not in a position to discuss the scientific merits of any claims made by Al Gore or An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power. Instead, I can talk about things like the structure of this follow-up to An Inconvenient Truth, the imagery used in it, the story it tells, and the power of the argument to a non-scientist. Some of the elements directors Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen put forward—like the imagery—are powerful. Other elements—like the storytelling—are not as strong.
The directors of the film do not hold one's hand as they tell the story, dragging them step-by-step from point A to point B. While subtlety can be a benefit, it can also be a weakness. If this were just a question of Gore giving a similar lecture at a number of different places there would be no issue, but when he's giving a talk to a company, and then that company comes up again later in the film, questions arise – is this actually the same company we saw earlier? What, exactly, is the chronology of the events? Because Shenk and Cohen don't clearly provide those answers in the moment, this viewer was jerked out of the film's narrative to stop and wonder and try to piece it all together themselves.
One of the other main drawbacks in the film is the import that it places on Gore's work in 2015 during the climate talks in Paris. It is a big moment in the film, and adds towards the movie's overall message of optimism about where we might be headed by increasing our use of renewable energy. However, it almost puts forward the sense that Gore is a superhero and able to string together the necessary coalition through his own determination. Not only does that seem too easy and as though it ought to be a full documentary by itself, but the United States under President Trump has pulled out of the agreement (or indicated our intention to do so). This last is acknowledged by the film, as is the need to keep fighting, but that is still a deflating message after the buildup. No one working on the film can do anything to change the direction in which our nation has gone since production began, but An Inconvenient Sequel does not feel as though it addresses those changes to an adequate degree.
And yet, there is much in the positive column as well.
Never is An Inconvenient Sequel stronger than when it shows the destruction caused by climate change. Seeing Al Gore in waterproof boots on the streets of a flooded Miami, or seeing video of dramatic rescues in the middle of climate catastrophes is incredible. Some of the images of ice and water offered up by the documentary would be beautiful if they weren't going to lead to something so cataclysmically bad for our world.
There is nothing beautiful in the film's discussion of the spread of certain diseases, like Zika, towards parts of the world in which they have never before existed. And yet, it is during discussions like that when Gore appears at his most passionate; that passion shines through and it is stirring.
Undeniably, there is something truly admirable in the way Gore himself continues to fight to make our world better. In a world full of self-aggrandizing politicians, Gore comes across as someone who, through his lectures on climate change and teaching others to spread the message, truly cares about helping everyone on the planet. It is, as presented in the film, not a political message—we see Republicans tout renewable energy in addition to Democrats—and not about demonizing anyone (even those who appear to be against the Paris Agreement during the talks). The film's ability to rise above that fray is something to which we should all aspire.
The Verdict
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power is not as strong a film as its predecessor. It is great when it follows-up on some of the discussions in the original film, things like talking about the Blue Marble photo or flooding in Lower Manhattan. The behind the scenes political machinations of a climate agreement, however, feel too easy and too short-lived. While the documentary does talk about Gore the man and his work educating others (as well as offer a call to action), there are elements, even here, that require more explanation than provided. The single most interesting question one will leave the theater with is not whether Gore's past work will lead towards change, but what he will do now that there is a different political reality in the U.S. than there was during the Paris talks. Perhaps a third movie will enlighten us 10 years from now.
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