Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Educational docu travels the world for climate solutions.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Groundswell
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In GROUNDSWELL, actors Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson narrate the story of how regenerative agriculture has the potential to solve the climate crisis. The film explains the science behind growing food in biodiverse systems, allowing carbon and water to enrich the soil, rather than the pesticide-laden monocrop model of industrial agriculture. The film takes a "road trip" to various continents to look at functioning regenerative models that are bringing new, green life back to areas suffering desertification or deforestation, for example, by implementing innovative water collection systems or introducing diverse plant and animal species back into shared spaces. Local farmers earn a living, people live better, and healthier food is grown in sustainable ways.
Is It Any Good?
Co-narrator Woody Harrelson promises "not another depressing documentary" at the start of this one, and he's right. Don't expect Groundswell to absolutely blow you away; its storytelling isn't markedly innovative, and the basic science has to be explained like in any climate-oriented documentary. But this one does feel different in its sheer vastness. Filmmakers Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell have been apparently well-funded and they put in the work, traveling to more than half a dozen countries and interviewing nearly two dozen experts on systems that work.
It all builds up to a clarion call to implement regenerative agriculture as a macro solution to the climate crisis. And it's a convincing call, considering the many ways it's working on a micro level, which the documentary visualizes and explains very well. This film is the third in a trilogy and may be the best yet, thanks to its expansive ambition and globally inclusive framework. The message is clear, compelling, and convincing. What more can you ask of a documentary?
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the concept of regenerative agriculture, the subject of Groundswell. What key messages did you take away about it?
The film travels all over the world to look at different local solutions. Which stories and locations interested you the most, and why?
This film promises something different at the start. Did you find it unique? Was it entertaining as well as educational? How could it have been more so, for you?
In what way is teamwork necessary for the various initiatives and solutions highlighted in the film to work? How is that shown through interviews and images?
This documentary is the third in a trilogy. If you've seen either or both of the other two, how are they complementary? In what ways do they form a trilogy (besides being three)?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 13, 2026
- Cast : Demi Moore , Woody Harrelson
- Directors : Joshua Tickell , Rebecca Harrell Tickell
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Amazon Prime Video
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Activism ( Climate change ) , Animals ( Farm Animals ) , STEM ( Nature , Science ) , Travel
- Character Strengths : Teamwork
- Run time : 93 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : thematic elements including some suicide references, and a brief smoking image
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : May 13, 2026
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