Al Gore returns 11 years after his first ground-breaking documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which has been repeatedly criticised, parodied and commended since its release in 2006. An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power follows up the predictions of the original film, with harrowing evidence that shows what was criticised as hyperbole has come true in recent years. However, this film takes a positive look to the future, following Gore’s attempts to effect a worldwide change to renewable energy through the political system, culminating in the Paris Climate Agreement of 2016.
There is well-presented evidence, which is both logical (Al Gore loves his impactful charts) and emotionally resonant, to affect the audiences’ mind and body. The film dispels despair at the seemingly dire state of the world with a reassuring conclusion, showing how far we’ve come in the past decade, and how many countries around the world are taking positive steps towards changing the world.
However, I think this film has less impact than its predecessor, simply because of our society’s understanding of climate change, which has increased in recent years. The Inconvenient Sequel focuses less on convincing the audience that global warming is real, and more on providing solutions for the generally accepted problem. Despite this, the documentary is still emotional, and is an effective way of bringing climate change back into relevance within popular culture. Hopefully, it inspires a new wave of people enacting and demanding change, after the issue of climate change has remained relatively culturally dormant in recent years, overshadowed by the media’s obsession with terrorism.
This documentary is disturbingly relevant, and poignant, but overall, reassuring that there remains some hope for the future.
I rate this film 8/10.
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power is in cinemas from August 10.
