Sticking with the facts: An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth is just that, an inconvenient truth. As Al Gore stands in front of the crowd he hopes to cram in enough facts, pictures, charts and graphs to make every viewer aware that Global Warming is real and it is an issue that needs to be addressed now. It is easy for most to brush off Global Warming as a lousy theory or one that simply does not require their attention. After all the changes are fairly slow, a fraction of a degree in temperature change every year. Though as Gore repeatedly tries to cram into our minds these changes are real, ongoing and increasing. The changes do not fit with data from history and have occurred at a rate never before seen. Gore never comes out and says that everyone should drive a Prius or plant carbon offsets, though he showcases the effects if we let global warming continue to harm the planet -- increased ocean levels, stronger and more unpredictable storms, and cities underwater.

The movie though is more than just a simple slideshow presentation. It follows a rather brief biography of Al Gore from the time he was a kid on his ranch through college where he started to become involved in early studies of the time that were beginning to indicate of the global warming trend. It followed Gore to the Senate where he held the first ever hearings on the subject. It went to the White House and to the 2000 election and finally followed Gore since then, the time since where he has been able to fully concentrate on trying to raise awareness of the subject and promoting action from not only individuals, but companies and elected officials as well.

Compared to the films last week, An Inconvenient Truth, is a much more structured documentary film. It does not wander around answering rhetorical questions like we saw in An Unfamiliar Place, Gore does not want to leave open much uncertainty. He wants to cram into the viewers head all the fact that he can to make the most convincing argument of global warming. The film also differs from A Tracking Theory, in that it does not try to editorialize the situation. Again, Gore tries to stick to the facts and the projected scientific simulations of the worse case scenarios. He doesn’t add staged footage and leaves the romanticization of the topic for Hollywood to conquer.