Leonardo DiCaprio’s new climate change documentary, Before the Flood, aired on National Geographic on Sunday night. The entire film is now available to screen for free on several online platforms, including YouTube. Directed by Fisher Stevens and shot over a three-year period, the film follows DiCaprio as he travels around the world to discuss global warming with world leaders, scientists, and regular nonfamous people.
Hollywood has become increasingly involved in climate change advocacy in recent years. DiCaprio has been at the forefront of this—he is the face of Before the Flood, which he also produced. He also produced and narrated the 2007 documentary The 11th Hour. The actor, a UN messenger of peace, used his Oscar acceptance speech in February as a platform to discuss climate change, and is even bringing ’90s cartoon Captain Planet to the big screen. The doc also had a healthy dose of star power for its score, a collaboration between Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Mogwai, and Gustavo Santolalla.
Before the Flood styles itself as a call to arms “to prevent catastrophic disruption of life on our planet”—its website also features an alarming interactive map to see how rising temperatures and sea levels will flood cities. But reviews of the doc itself have so far been mixed. Variety’s Andrew Barker praised the film for its earnestness, while Neil Genzlinger of the New York Times considered it too bleak to serve as a meaningful call to action: “The film wants to spur individual changes in behavior, but there’s a fair amount in it that might discourage you from even trying.”
You can watch the full documentary here:
