It's a documentary about a French scientist Claude Lorius and his work in the Antarctic, and how he came to 2 discoveries: 1) measuring temperature in distant past by the predominant type of hydrogen in the snowflakes found deep below in the ice of Antarctica and 2) seeing climate of distant past by the air bubbles stored in that deep ice.
If you like science and documentaries about nature you will definitely like this film, too. But for an average spectator the film is probably too slow-paced, and lacks the typical tricks modern American documentaries like to use to keep the viewer's attention. It's a European film, so it deliberately avoids cheap tricks and counts on the viewer's intelligence.
Also, the film mentions facts about climate change. You've probably heard this many times already, and David Attenborough (and Carl Sagan) and many others have mention this over and over, but temperature is rising, and it's man-caused. And despite the Kyoto protocol et al, no one really cares. Btw due to the film's detachment for an average viewer, it won't ever be watched by deniers of climate change and basically most of the people who still need convincing.
On a side note, I liked the positive light in which the Russian scientists and the Vostok station was mentioned. Apparently, their station and drilling tech was vital for collection of massive data about past climate on Earth. So rare to see anything positive about Russia in a western film these days.
After watching this, all I wanted was to give this old Frenchman a hug and thank him for all his outstanding work. I hope we will still have enough people like him in this and coming generations.
