Chasing Coral

Jeff Orlowski's suspenseful and heartbreaking documentary focuses on the phenomenon of "coral bleaching"-the process by which dying corals turn white and fall apart.

Which makes it all the more surprising that the documentary ends on the optimistic note that it does.

A story of passionate pioneers who love reefs becomes a clarion call for change and one of the year's most essential movies.

It's staunchly pro-life, in the truest sense of the term.

By film's end, you'll see corals not only as underwater life forms but as dreamy, endangered neighborhoods inhabited by unspeakably beautiful Nemos and Dorys.

The film makes a powerful case less through argument than by using cinema's most basic tool: visual proof.

Through time-lapse and stunning underwater photography, we get an eye-opening look at what’s happening to our ocean’s backbone without descending into a politicized debate about climate change.

There's no denying this one, no looking away, and Orlowski's crew takes full advantage of that.

Best of all is the time-lapse imagery of the rapid death of these vast ecosystems. The discoveries made are astonishing; this is a call to action that delivers hyperbole after hyperbole. It must be seen to be believed.

The message is strong, and the imagery is memorable throughout. However, with the glut of climate change documentaries, it scary to think this one could get lost in the fray.