Chasing Coral was directed by Jeff Orlowski and was released in 2017. This documentary highlights the drastic increase in the death of coral reefs. The scientists identify the cause of this population decline as rising ocean temperatures in response to climate change. The movie illustrates the research process that lead to the discovery of this phenomenon. A team of engineers, divers, and scientists traveled to the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia and photographed the bleaching of coral over the course of several months.
The timeline of the movie accurately portrays the sequence of the scientific method: make an observation, ask a question, form a hypothesis and prediction, conduct an experiment, analyze results, and then share the results. First, the observation of coral bleaching was made, which made people wonder what was happening and why. Then, we saw the team assemble and generate a plan to conduct research. The documentary included their failures as well as their success, which is an important part of scientific discovery. Being able to see how the data was collected was a very important part in understanding the seriousness of the movie. After acquiring and analyzing the results, the team shared their finding with people of all ages. In addition to communicating their results in symposiums to adults, they brought the information to children in classrooms to educate the next generation about the effects of climate change. While watching the team gather pictures and information, the audience was able to witness their growing personal connection to the coral. The connection the team made with the coral is an integral part of saving the reefs; if more people felt the way they do, then ideally more people would get on board with curbing the effects of climate change. When people find something beautiful, they tend to appreciate and care for it more. Coral is a fascinating and beautiful animal. This movie was directed in an informative yet persuasive style to promote widespread appreciation for this animal, calling for people to make a change.
This movie was produced and edited very well. The visual explanations and analogies throughout the movie really helped me understand the scientific aspect of the bleaching event. Specifically, the model of the polyps was very helpful when explaining how the coral worked. The most symbolic moment was when the crew walked onto the restaurant-boat; there was this beautifully miraculous piece of nature just below these people and they were completely oblivious to it, just like the majority of society is to the beauty of nature. Just as the team did, I developed an affinity with the coral. Watching the reefs die over time was very saddening and I became emotional towards the end of the film. The scene that was the most impactful to me was when the coral became fluorescent as it produced a kind of sun block. This was described as the coral's attempt at saying, "I'm here, notice me" to the world. We all need to notice the beauty and importance of this keystone species.
Review of Chasing Coral
