Tomorrow

A scientific paper says humanity faces a serious risk of collapse within the coming century. Mélanie Laurent and Cyril Dion decide to make a documentary in response, and then do the opposite of describing the disaster: they go looking for solutions that have been proven to work in different parts of the world. The subject is not climate fear but scale. Every example they visit is small: urban farming in Detroit, energy in Copenhagen, a local currency in Bristol, a school in Finland, agriculture in India. The film's thesis is that the sum of these small things constitutes a method. The form is a travel documentary in five sections, taking agriculture, energy, economy, democracy and education in turn. The narrators are inside the frame and visibly learning, so there is no voice lecturing the viewer. The production began with crowdfunding and became an unexpected box office success in France. It won the César for best documentary in 2016 and turned into material shown in schools. Who it is for: viewers who like solution-focused documentary and want a hopeful entry into the climate argument. Who it is not for: anyone expecting critical depth; the film does not ask about the limits of its examples or where they have failed.