A Study of Multimodal Metaphors in the Chinese Environmental Documentary, Behemoth

This study examines how the environmental documentary Behemoth, directed by Zhao Liang, uses metaphor to represent environmental degradation in China, particularly in regions like Inner Mongolia and Shanxi, where industrialization and coal mining have caused severe pollution. Despite its serious impact on public health, awareness among the population remains limited due to institutional constraints that restrict open communication. The objective of this study is to analyse how the documentary uses multimodal metaphors to communicate environmental issues and raise awareness. Drawing on Forceville’s multimodal metaphor theory and using a textual analysis method with coding adapted from Fan’s multimodal metaphor coding sheet, the study identifies how visual, verbal, and textual metaphors are strategically employed. The findings show that Behemoth uses split images, orientation metaphors (e.g., good vs. evil), and metaphors of life (lambs, sheep, coal miners), hope, and religion to emphasize the severity of ecological destruction and position humans as its root cause. These metaphors play a critical role in helping audiences comprehend the scale and impact of environmental crises, suggesting that metaphorical imagery is a powerful tool for environmental communication.