Maeve Higgins: Let's celebrate those creating successes on top of the heartbreak

Don’t Look Up reflects how a particular stratum of American society creates and reacts to climate chaos. It is one experience, one viewpoint, one story about how we face climate crises. There are many more, writes Maeve Higgins

Leonardo DiCaprio as Dr Randall Mindy and Jennifer Lawrence as Kate Dibiasky in the film 'Don't Look Up'. 

SPOILER ALERT: This piece mentions what happens at the end of the Netflix movie Don’t Look Up. Here it comes now: A small number of people in the US, politicians and tech billionaires, who supposedly own and control the most resources on the planet, fail to act against an existential threat to all life on Earth. There is a comet hurtling toward Earth, and despite repeated warnings and potential solutions offered by scientists, the comet hits, destroying all life.

The comet is an allegory for the climate crisis. The movie makers’ fear and rage about the climate crisis threatening Earth are channelled with creativity and humour. There are excellent jokes and set pieces. Don’t Look Up is beautiful and angry and full of amazing people at the top of their game doing great work.