Why This Changes Everything Left Me Shook
This Changes everything is a dramatic documentary that had multiple emotional punches, but was still a well made documentary. For every emotional documentary trope there was an element that made the film stand out. The combination of cinematography, the buildup of the overall message, the inclusion of various environmental struggles across the globe, and the inclusion of people on the other side of the spectrum worked together to create a masterpiece of an environmental documentary.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, typically when documentaries tackle heavy subjects there are always going to be emotional ploys because hey, that stuff sells. Even the narrator of this documentary points out the trope of the sad lonely polar bear. However, despite the negative association with the emotional trope, there were multiple tear jerker movements. There were some painfully obvious ones like the daughter hugging her mother as she cried, the footage of the dead men,and the protest montage at the end of the movie. The most effective tear jerkers however, were the footage of different protesters as they were explaining their side of the argument/event. Of that category the two most effective was the one with the flooding of the farm, the footage of the village in Sompet, and the first responders footage in Sandy. All three of these parts were effective because they did not look planned or stage and had genuine human reactions to it. The farm flooding was shot on iPhone footage, it gives the scene a very personal and home feel because it creates a clear connection with the audience. It gives the message this was not a planed moment, how could it be? The use of the home footage gives off the clear message to the audience that this could have been anyone in that situation because it is recorded on a personal device. It places the audience in the same vein as the farm owner through the use of the iPhone footage. The Sompet footage gives off another close to home vibe because it is painfully obvious that the people in the footage did not know that the people they were blocking were documentary makers. This makes their performance particularly powerful because it is so raw and not rehearsed or staged and the audience can clearly see that. The sandy footage is powerful because it talks to residents immediately after the storm and volunteers so the emotion is raw and ripe.
The film's use of members across the political aisle is strategic and works to give the film credibility and a sense of neutrality. They talk to people who are on the conservative side of the argument like: Canada Petroleum Association, their workers, the Mayor of Haldiki, and the notorious Heartland Association. They use these corporations and their words and twist them to fit their agenda. It is beautifully done and I must say the best example of this has to be the footage of one of the workers from "Fort McMoney" stating that he supports a just transition. They use these people to make it seem like everyone should be on the side of fighting climate change and it is executed brilliantly. They also use a diverse range of local and global organizations and struggles in various areas to paint the picture that we are all effected by this so we should all be fighting it. I also really enjoyed the imagery of the machine although at times I thought that it was tacky. The inclusion of the economy worked very nicely under that model.
Overall I really enjoyed this film, there were some preachy parts but for the most part I thought that it was a well done film and would probably watch it again tbh.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, typically when documentaries tackle heavy subjects there are always going to be emotional ploys because hey, that stuff sells. Even the narrator of this documentary points out the trope of the sad lonely polar bear. However, despite the negative association with the emotional trope, there were multiple tear jerker movements. There were some painfully obvious ones like the daughter hugging her mother as she cried, the footage of the dead men,and the protest montage at the end of the movie. The most effective tear jerkers however, were the footage of different protesters as they were explaining their side of the argument/event. Of that category the two most effective was the one with the flooding of the farm, the footage of the village in Sompet, and the first responders footage in Sandy. All three of these parts were effective because they did not look planned or stage and had genuine human reactions to it. The farm flooding was shot on iPhone footage, it gives the scene a very personal and home feel because it creates a clear connection with the audience. It gives the message this was not a planed moment, how could it be? The use of the home footage gives off the clear message to the audience that this could have been anyone in that situation because it is recorded on a personal device. It places the audience in the same vein as the farm owner through the use of the iPhone footage. The Sompet footage gives off another close to home vibe because it is painfully obvious that the people in the footage did not know that the people they were blocking were documentary makers. This makes their performance particularly powerful because it is so raw and not rehearsed or staged and the audience can clearly see that. The sandy footage is powerful because it talks to residents immediately after the storm and volunteers so the emotion is raw and ripe.
The film's use of members across the political aisle is strategic and works to give the film credibility and a sense of neutrality. They talk to people who are on the conservative side of the argument like: Canada Petroleum Association, their workers, the Mayor of Haldiki, and the notorious Heartland Association. They use these corporations and their words and twist them to fit their agenda. It is beautifully done and I must say the best example of this has to be the footage of one of the workers from "Fort McMoney" stating that he supports a just transition. They use these people to make it seem like everyone should be on the side of fighting climate change and it is executed brilliantly. They also use a diverse range of local and global organizations and struggles in various areas to paint the picture that we are all effected by this so we should all be fighting it. I also really enjoyed the imagery of the machine although at times I thought that it was tacky. The inclusion of the economy worked very nicely under that model.
Overall I really enjoyed this film, there were some preachy parts but for the most part I thought that it was a well done film and would probably watch it again tbh.
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