Opens on Friday in Manhattan.

Directed by Jeff Orlowski

1 hour 15 minutes

“Chasing Ice,” a documentary about one man’s quest to photograph the glacier melts that are thought to be linked to global warming, is certainly receiving a theatrical run at exactly the right moment. For one thing, it opens with footage of a house being washed away by rampaging water.

The film, full of stunning images in addition to being timely, documents the work of James Balog, an environmental photographer who, spurred by an assignment from National Geographic, became determined to capture a visual representation of climate change. As he tells an audience at one point in the film, “We have a problem of perception, because not enough people get it yet.”

Beginning in 2007 Mr. Balog began trying to capture images of receding glaciers using time-lapse photography, a process that required overcoming assorted physical and technological hurdles. But the film doesn’t just serve up Mr. Balog’s amazing and undeniably convincing imagery. It also records his personal struggles as knee problems threaten his ability to hike the difficult terrain to get the shots he wants. (Assistants take over some of the work.) That combination — a solitary quest with global implications — makes “Chasing Ice” as watchable as it is important.

“Chasing Ice” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). A few curse words.

