Documentary or Feature Film
Films are one of the many gifts that humans have created. There are numerous reasons which make movies and films amazing. A one-to-two-hour movie is an experience like no other as it is almost always entertaining, impactful, emotional, inspiring and the list goes on. Most importantly, this package of enjoyment is engaging and that is why I think watching them is an extremely effective way to teach and educate. But what is there to teach to the current and future generations of people? Climate change. It is a deadly global issue that humanity caused yet we aren’t doing much about it. Ironic right? Luckily, there are countless films that have an environmental focus and I will be comparing two of them: a documentary film and a feature film.
To begin with, the documentary I chose to watch was Before the Flood. Leonardo DiCaprio, the United Nations Messenger of Peace, spent three years travelling and documenting his journey all over the world to discover more about climate change. He learnt how this crisis is changing the natural balance of our planet and he explored the different solutions to prevent this worldwide problem. The film proved the effects of climate change are worse than what was predicted decades ago, and it will become significantly worse in the future.
Beasts of the Southern Wild is a movie my class watched together, and it was chosen by my teacher. It was based on Wink and his daughter, Hushpuppy, who live in a remote area, and they live as one with nature. Wink faces illness and so does planet Earth. Ice caps are melting, temperatures are increasing, and sea levels are rising. Wink and Hushpuppy battle to persist and preserve their home after being flooded and submerged.
Both films made the effects of climate change clear to the audience, but the way it was represented was contrasting. Beasts of the Southern Wild emphasized the impact climate change had on a singular group of people surrounded by water. It focused on their struggles after the flood and it was clear that adaptation was vital for survival. On the other hand, Before the Flood listed and briefly explained the ways climate change had affected numerous communities. For instance, Beijing was choking in industrial pollution, rainforests in Indonesia were being burnt and farmers in India had their crops washed away. It was definitely more informing compared to Beasts of the Southern Wild but different levels of sympathy were felt across all people. Don’t get me wrong, sympathy was still felt by the audience for all these people, but this sense of sorrow is stronger for Wink and Hushpuppy as there is an emotional connection felt between them and the audience (this will be explained later).
The characters/people are crucial as they both add extra meaning to their respective films. To be honest, I chose to watch this documentary only because no one else watched it. When I discovered that the whole film revolved around Leonardo DiCaprio, I was suddenly more interested and intrigued. And that brings me to my point, celebrities like DiCaprio bring more people to watch educational films and it can also inspire other big names to do the same. Additionally, the main purpose of exploring the world for DiCaprio was to be a better UN Peace Messenger. This shows that he is dedicated to his role and is willing to sacrifice his time and money in order to be more respected.
When looking at Beasts of the Southern Wild, the director, Benh Zeitlin, introduced the characters in an effective way by portraying them as people who have a simple yet scrappy lifestyle. Although it may seem like they are living in poverty, they are still perfectly happy, and they love to party. He also made it evident that the Bathtub was valued by everyone within, and the community was all Wink and Hushpuppy needed to be happy. However, when Mother nature stripped away their only source of happiness, the audience feels an immense amount of sympathy, more so than usual. This is all because we learnt the background of the characters and there was that emotional connection felt that was mentioned before.
The main message of Before the Flood is that we need to take immediate action to solve climate change. It wants us to speak of this issue as loud as we can and educate the people around us. It is up to all of us to solve this problem and the documentary shows that there is still hope if we change now. It’s great that this film is spreading awareness in a captivating way but terrifying that humans have allowed it to reach this point. The message of Before the Flood was explicitly said in the film but the message Beasts of the Southern Wild is sending needs a little bit of thought. To me, I think the main message is that people on Earth need to change whether they like it or not. To expand on this, the people in the Bathtub signify humanity since we are all reluctant to change. Residents of the Bathtub ignore orders from the government to evacuate and they refused to leave their home, even though most of it was submerged. Similarly, governments, workers and citizens have not made big enough changes for a future healthy world. Worst of all, seeing some politicians, people who have influence over people, view climate change as a joke is absolutely disgraceful. The movie makes it obvious to me that change is not a want, but a need in order to have an environment which the future generations of the planet can enjoy.
Before the Flood and Beasts of the Southern Wild are exceptional films which send strong messages on climate change. These two films are different styles, where one is a documentary and the other is a feature film. The one which is suited for you depends on what you want, a film which educates, informs and inspires or a film which entertains and keeps you on the edge of your seat. However, watching both Before the Flood and Beasts of the Southern Wild would be the best of both worlds.