‘The Island President,’ a nail-biting doc: Kenneth Turan’s pick

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‘The Island President’ is a powerful documentary focusing on Mohamed Nasheed, who until recently was the president of the Maldives, a nation of 1,200 coral islands in the Indian Ocean so low-lying that global warming is a clear and present danger.

Articulate, charismatic and heroic, Nasheed is an ideal documentary subject. Not only does he always say what’s on his mind, but he granted the filmmakers access to the kinds of insider meetings and conversations that are usually strictly off-limits to the media.

Nasheed’s efforts at the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit are the heart of the film. Will the conference end with a crucial deal? The back and forth of late-night diplomatic meetings turns out to be as much of a nail-biter as a top-tier sporting event.

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-- Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times film critic