Documentary Sunday - Chasing Ice

Sunday's are lazy, so why not take the time to sit down, relax and open your mind to exciting new worlds of knowledge, intrigue and opinions.


Documentaries about climate change are a dime a dozen and I guess we have Mr Gore to thank for that. I'm not saying it isn't happening, far from it, but I still believe we don't have all the relevant facts about it resulting in people seeing a slight change in the ecosystem and immediately panicking, blaming global warming, conjuring up reams of complicated data to confuse others into thinking the situation is a lot worse than it really is. Then we get a film like this. Where we are literally seeing the changes before our very eyes.

The documentary follows James Balog, the renowned photographer and the Extreme Ice Survey, the most in-depth photographic study of glaciers and ice formations ever assembled, and tracks their discoveries over the course of a few years, including the laborious task of setting up the cameras, the various setbacks, and their overall discoveries. What it all culminates in is a very intriguing story of a man trying to show evidence of global warming and succeeding a lot more than the Vice-President ever did.

As can be imagined, the cinematography is stunning. The time-lapses are almost out of this world and would be wonderful to watch on endless repeats were they not also scary to watch. They also manage to (supposedly) capture ice movements that have never been caught on camera before, and witnessing them on a big screen with the sound cranked up is something else entirely.

But again, this film is more about the man behind the photos. We don't get much insight in his private life, other than he's probably never there, but we get a glimpse at his psyche and determination and even with extensive and multiple knee surgeries he continues to push his body to limits doctors would never even dream of encouraging.

Who Does it Appeal To?
Global warming enthusiasts or people who are still unsure. If the film does not convince you that something is wrong with the weather patterns then you are living in denial. It is also worth watching if you find vistas of ice breathtaking, as you will surely not be disappointed.

What to Take Away From It?
We need to do more to reduce our carbon footprint and help spread the message that global warming is really here. Also, icebergs are really scary to watch when they break.