If you haven't watched Leonardo DiCaprio's "Before the Flood," I'm sad to say you missed an amazing movie. Not normally one for documentaries, I sat through the entire hour and a half long movie and have no regrets. I laughed, I cried, I lost hope, and I found it again. On more than one occasion, I was touched by the words, the feelings, and the people presented to me. I was inspired.
For those of you who are not familiar with the title, let me explain. The film documents DiCaprio's journey as he travels around the globe as a United Nations Messenger of Peace to learn about climate change firsthand. He talks to world leaders, professors, scientists, and many other important people to learn about what climate change is doing, why people deny it, and how it could effect our world. DiCaprio did not set out saying he was an expert, like most of us, he knew very little. What he found was devastating, forests destroyed, animals going extinct, people living in harsh conditions. But, he also found hope, a silver lining around the darkest cloud imaginable. It is possible to combat the effects of climate change, and, in fact, there are people in the world right now doing just that.
I strongly believe that giving people hope and educating them on this issue is the only way to bring about change. Maybe it's because I believe in people. In my mind, everyone is innately good. And maybe I am misguided in that thinking, I mean, I have met some bad people. But in my 19 years, the amount of good people I've met have far outweighed the bad. So while I have to say that all of the facts were very interesting, it was the last bit of the film that really made an impact on me. Seeing so many leaders from different nations and backgrounds coming together over an issue, that's moving. Seeing that good people actually care and are doing something to help, that's what keeps me motivated on this issue.
The time for change is now. It is up to all of us.
I want to give my sincerest thanks to Mr. DiCaprio, National Geographic, and everyone else who helped make this film possible.
