Film

2040

Name: 2040
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2019
Cast: Damon Gameau, Eva Lazzaro, Zoe Gameau, Davini Malcolm

Light-hearted

Damon Gameau crafts a visual letter to his young daughter imagining 2040 through existing solutions to climate, health, and social challenges. It's optimistic sci-fi documentary that feels like a bedtime story, balancing wonder with urgency. For parents, activists, and anyone tired of doom-scrolling who wants to see what hope could look like.

TMDb rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like optimistic documentaries that turn a big worry into a sequence of practical experiments, with a personal, slightly goofy filmmaker who puts himself in the frame and tests ideas on his own life.

Skip it if you want hard-edged investigation or a sober, expert-led argument; this one is warm, playful and openly persuasive, and its hopeful tone can feel more like a pitch than a challenge.

What it asks of you: It runs about ninety minutes and moves briskly between scenes, with a loose, diary-like structure addressed to a child, so it asks you to stay open to its cheerful, direct-to-camera style.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

My Octopus Teacher2020

A filmmaker documents a year-long relationship with an octopus, finding profound lessons about nature, vulnerability, and connection. Beautifully shot, meditative, and genuinely moving without manipulation.

But Very slow-paced and intimate; if you want conventional narrative momentum, you'll find yourself restless.

The True Cost2015

Investigates fast fashion's human and environmental cost through vivid storytelling and clear evidence. Shows systemic problems *and* what people are doing to fix them. Angry but constructive.

But Heavy subject matter about exploitation; watching people suffer is the point, which can feel grim even when solutions are offered.

Our Planet2019

David Attenborough guides you through ecosystems at a turning point. Visually stunning, urgent without hysteria. Each episode pairs problems with examples of restoration and conservation already working.

But Some sequences of animal suffering are genuinely difficult. The scale of change needed can feel overwhelming despite the hopeful framing.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from 2040

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Cycles2023

Both are love letters to human ingenuity and optimism delivered through gorgeous images to people they want to inspire, not scold.

A narrative feature, not a documentary, following engineers designing regenerative systems. Shot like science fiction, funny in unexpected ways, focuses on the *joy* of solving problems rather than guilt about having them. Rare thing: about hope without sentimentality.

But Fictional narrative wrapped in environmental content can feel like a gimmick; some will see it as greenwashing dressed up as cinema.

Before the Flood2016

Leonardo DiCaprio travels globally documenting climate change and solutions. High production value, celebrity access to world leaders, and a mix of hard science with human stories that actually land.

But Celebrity-led environmentalism can feel like brand work; some won't get past DiCaprio's star power to the substance.

Kiss the Ground2020

Regenerative agriculture as a climate solution told through farmers, scientists, and compelling visuals. Shows how restoring soil could reverse environmental damage. Genuinely novel perspective on hope.

But Agricultural policy isn't inherently cinematic; long stretches of explaining soil chemistry test your patience.

An Inconvenient Truth2006

Al Gore's presentation of climate science became the template for climate documentaries. Dated now but historically important, and the visual data demonstrations are still clear and powerful.

But Made eighteen years ago; some predicted timelines have already passed, which can undermine urgency rather than strengthen it.

The End of the Line2009

Reveals industrial fishing's catastrophic impact on ocean ecosystems with clarity and surprising emotional depth. Moves from problem to what fishermen and scientists are doing to reverse it.

But The mechanics of overfishing aren't glamorous; you'll spend time watching graphs and interviews in bland settings.

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet2020

David Attenborough's personal reflection on five decades witnessing environmental change. Elegant, sobering, and framed around concrete restoration projects he's watched succeed. His voice carries earned authority.

But Another Attenborough climate film; if you've seen *Our Planet* or *Planet Earth*, you may feel you're retreading ground.

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet poster

The Biggest Little Farm2019

A couple transforms degraded California land into a thriving ecosystem farm. Patient, beautifully photographed, shows what working *with* nature rather than against it can accomplish over eight years.

But Slow, meditative pacing; lacks dramatic conflict, so it lives or dies on whether you find watching soil regenerate genuinely compelling.