2040

This is a hopeful, even sweet look at what the future could be like for the next generation if the world embraces actionable steps to save the Earth. Gameau's strategy is simple: He interviews kids who share their dreams, speaks to international experts, and then acts in brief dramtizations of what the year 2040 might be like, focusing on the 24-year-old version of Velvet (played by Eva Lazzaro). Occasionally the vignettes about the future can be a little corny (gray, wrinkled versions of Damon and his wife Zoë Tuckwell-Smith appear doing couples' yoga, dancing, telling "dad jokes" and otherwise embarrassing their daughter), but it's still pleasant and will resonate with parents with young children.

Gameau's heart is big, and so are the documentary's messages. But despite how easy and no-nonsense Gameau makes these environmental changes seem, more cynical viewers will know that it's going to take a massive paradigm shift to implement some, if not all, of the proposed solutions on the scale necessary to move the needle in the right direction. Still, it's wonderful to see a documentary about climate change that isn't focused on impending doom but rather on the myriad ways that each person, each family, each community can make a considerable difference -- in how we eat, get around, garden, use our energy, and, most important, how we learn, believe, and do.