AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (2006)
Al Gore is a person you probably already have some opinions about. Not all things that have been said about him are fair. He is a man that, notwithstanding thirty-five consecutive years of public service, seems strangely uncomfortable in the role of a politcian. During the 2000 presidential election, he seemed to want to distance himself from himself. His campaign was not constructed without deliberation, and had the soundness and consistency of a modern structure, but it was not, however, a house that he was comfortable living in. He gave off the impression of being tightly wound, of trying too hard, of someone hiding, to a degree, behind a false persona, one that was surprisingly muscley, and oddly tan. I never thought that he was insincere, per se, but he did, ever so slightly, creep me out. In retrospect, a big dose of failure was probably just what he needed. Al Gore has just made the most exciting film of the year.
Al knows global warming. The basis of the film is a multimedia presentation which he developed and has delivered over one thousand times since his early days in the Senate. The quality of the movie woven around this material by director and co-executive producer Davis Guggenheim is more than impressive. It is a work of art. Given the importance of the subject matter, I call it an act of grace.
A lecture on global warming seems an unlikely subject for a gripping documentary, or art. Guggenheim makes it equally into a biopic of Gore, and a story of personal tragedy. Gore's lecture is intercut with his quiet testimony about the personal reversals he has experienced in his life and his family, the idealism of a young Senator, and the disillusion of an older adult. Other sequences and images tell the story of his fall from power amongst the hanging chads in Florida and in the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court. Gore is revealed by what he does, and what he has done is return to square one. Global warming was the first big issue he brought to the Senate; four decades later, the issue remains unsolved, unsung, and neglected. His return to the slide show presentation is an effort to get one thing right, to finish one project among so many left unfulfilled. Guggenheim photographs his subject most often from behind, looking forward, looking down, looking at data, in a way that is plaintive and suggests impotence. Whether this picture is accurate or not, it is a powerful emotional doorway into the film, and syncs perfectly with the story of climate change that is being presented.
Gore's story provides the film's heart; but the excitement is in the data. The case for global warming is laid out systematically and matter-of-factly, without melodrama. There are well-conceived illustations, graphs, and amazing video which always seems to be in repartee with the oral presentation, engaging and enlisting the viewers as active participants. There are moments of levity and great poignancy, and no showing off. The global warming problem is worse than you think it is. Progress towards a solution in the United States has been stymied by a disinformation campaign that is shown to be similar in many ways to the disinformation campaign run by cigarrette companies about the effects of their products. The trends are clear, compelling, and point to grave consequences. Gore is not fatalistic, however. He addresses the perceived tension between environmental activism and economic welfare squarely. When the time comes to be uplifting, he raises the roof. The audience is left with practical suggestions, smiles, and in my case, a few tears.
What a relief that this documentary did not have to be made by Michael Moore. Al Gore's voice is reasoned, modulated, and always courteous, with that ever-present Tennessee twang. He does not point fingers or make political attacks. Yet I know that many people have more baggage about Gore than I do, and I wonder if that voice can be heard by them, too. The voice has a different quality now, that somehow tells all by itself the story of time passing, corners turned, and new opportunities yet in store. It is the quality of a man at peace with himself.
I heartily encourage everyone to see this film.
Al knows global warming. The basis of the film is a multimedia presentation which he developed and has delivered over one thousand times since his early days in the Senate. The quality of the movie woven around this material by director and co-executive producer Davis Guggenheim is more than impressive. It is a work of art. Given the importance of the subject matter, I call it an act of grace.
A lecture on global warming seems an unlikely subject for a gripping documentary, or art. Guggenheim makes it equally into a biopic of Gore, and a story of personal tragedy. Gore's lecture is intercut with his quiet testimony about the personal reversals he has experienced in his life and his family, the idealism of a young Senator, and the disillusion of an older adult. Other sequences and images tell the story of his fall from power amongst the hanging chads in Florida and in the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court. Gore is revealed by what he does, and what he has done is return to square one. Global warming was the first big issue he brought to the Senate; four decades later, the issue remains unsolved, unsung, and neglected. His return to the slide show presentation is an effort to get one thing right, to finish one project among so many left unfulfilled. Guggenheim photographs his subject most often from behind, looking forward, looking down, looking at data, in a way that is plaintive and suggests impotence. Whether this picture is accurate or not, it is a powerful emotional doorway into the film, and syncs perfectly with the story of climate change that is being presented.
Gore's story provides the film's heart; but the excitement is in the data. The case for global warming is laid out systematically and matter-of-factly, without melodrama. There are well-conceived illustations, graphs, and amazing video which always seems to be in repartee with the oral presentation, engaging and enlisting the viewers as active participants. There are moments of levity and great poignancy, and no showing off. The global warming problem is worse than you think it is. Progress towards a solution in the United States has been stymied by a disinformation campaign that is shown to be similar in many ways to the disinformation campaign run by cigarrette companies about the effects of their products. The trends are clear, compelling, and point to grave consequences. Gore is not fatalistic, however. He addresses the perceived tension between environmental activism and economic welfare squarely. When the time comes to be uplifting, he raises the roof. The audience is left with practical suggestions, smiles, and in my case, a few tears.
What a relief that this documentary did not have to be made by Michael Moore. Al Gore's voice is reasoned, modulated, and always courteous, with that ever-present Tennessee twang. He does not point fingers or make political attacks. Yet I know that many people have more baggage about Gore than I do, and I wonder if that voice can be heard by them, too. The voice has a different quality now, that somehow tells all by itself the story of time passing, corners turned, and new opportunities yet in store. It is the quality of a man at peace with himself.
I heartily encourage everyone to see this film.