An Inconvenient Truth

It was precisely one week ago when Chicago weatherman Tom Skilling was clearly in awe over the unusually broiling temperatures infiltrating what should have been a lukewarm Spring. After his usual daily report, he routinely participated in an anecdotal exchange with the lead anchors by stating, “You know, this month may very well go down as one of the four hottest in history-“ “Great Spring!” interjected the lead anchor casually, his pearly smile glistening, “Nice and warm; hopefully an equally great summer ahead.” Obviously, Skilling’s statistic proved too alarming for a viewing audiences comforted by newsroom grins and chuckles, and his statement was once again brushed aside as an inconvenient truth.

Director David Guggenheim’s new documentary will not satisfy those seeking superficial comfort. What it does is present a problem that is absolutely indisputable and will (not could, will) lead to the end of human civilization if nothing is done to prevent it. Yet this film is not a hysterical doom-laden prophecy, nor is it a smugly liberal attack on the right-wing (unless one considers the preservation of our environment to be a political issue – and for those who do, I deeply pity you). The narrator himself stresses that his fight against global warming is not at all a political crusade, but a moral one.

Now at first, even I was hesitant to see this film, when I discovered that the narrator was former Vice President Al Gore, and that the film would mainly focus on a PowerPoint presentation of his own creation. Back during the 2000 election, this would unquestionably be a recipe for instant boredom. Yet stripped of all political blather and stilted professionalism, Gore finally speaks to us on an intimately human level. His demeanor is gently wise (sometimes evoking that of Andy Griffith), and not without humor (he even includes a clip of the animated show Futurama, to make the science of global warming instantly accessible). At times, the film breaks up the presentation footage with Gore reflecting on his own life, and why this particular battle is truly a personal one. Of course, these qualities are absolutely essential for him to effectively spread the knowledge of an issue that demands immediate attention.

Images depicting startling contrasts in climate paint a portrait of global warming that can absolutely not be argued against. Since nearly every bit of data in the film is presented as fact (not theory), I challenge every politician, oil company, and opposing human being to present an equally convincing argument against such statistics, and then we’ll have our controversy. As it stands, practically no one is seriously discussing this issue except Gore, and therefore we have an undeniable responsibility to listen. The film addresses the fact that, for the first time ever, the future of our species survival is in our own hands. Within a mere ten years, Gore declares, we will have reached the point of no return, and global warming will continue on an indestructible course toward making human life gradually impossible on earth.

However, An Inconvenient Truth emerges as the first step to a real solution that can be achieved once monetary gain ceases to be held as a higher priority than our own survival. Perhaps the film’s most affecting moment occurs toward the end, when Gore displays an image of earth, taken by a satellite from a distance of four billion miles. As Earth sparkled like a colorful dust mite in the midst of endless darkness, a strange feeling overcame me, unlike any I have felt during a film before. It was an awesome mixture of horrifying fear and unbridled hope; it was the recognition of the unique identity and responsibility each of us posses as inhabitants of this earth, devoid of all politics, opinions, and other human constructs.

I promise that if you see this spellbinding film, you will also leave the theater feeling both humbled and empowered. Even film critic Roger Ebert admitted that, after 39 years of reviewing movies, he has never once ordered moviegoers that they “owe it to themselves” to see a film – which he has now said about An Inconvenient Truth. Since I cannot possibly top the preceding quote, I will leave you with another; this one uttered by Senator Barak Obama. In a speech that blazed over all others at the 2004 Democratic Convention, he memorably articulated to thunderous applause, “This is not a liberal America. This is not a conservative America. This is the United States of America.” Global warming is neither Democratic nor Republican. It is real and it is present. Against it, we must stand united. Do yourself a favor, and see what may be the most important film of your lifetime.

Note: During the end credits, the film offers a website where one can find tips on how to put their fight against global warming into action: www.climatecrisis.net. Second note: I saw An Inconvenient Truth on 6/6/06, a date most filmgoers were no doubt thrilling to the story of a precocious Antichrist. For a more accurate depiction of the world’s end, view here.

Rating: ***** (out of *****)