Opening with a telling epigram from W.H. Auden (“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.”), Irena Salina's Flow offers a compelling clarion call to environmental arms over the next big battle: water. Is water a natural resource or commercial property? Three multinational corporations—Suez, Vivendi, Nestlé—are making a bundle in profits off selling bottled water (often tap water) to the affluent, as well as water access rights to the poor in developing countries. Salina's hard-hitting documentary travels the globe, looking at the environmental and human consequences of dam building in India, Nestlé's over-pumping of rivers in Michigan, the tribulations of poverty-stricken villagers in Africa who cannot afford pre-paid metered access to water and therefore draw what they need from polluted waterways (over two million people die each year from waterborne illnesses), and the successful fight to stop water privatization in Bolivia. Interspersed throughout these news magazine-type stories are interview clips with authors, activists, and various government and corporation officials, who paint an alarming picture of a world on the brink of a catastrophic water crisis. Yet, for all of its doom-and-gloom, Flow also highlights a number of positive steps being taken, ranging from innovative rainwater harvesting techniques to grassroots activism by concerned citizens. Although at times somewhat scattershot in its approach, Flow offers an eye-opening look at what is likely to become one of the central social and political issues of the 21st century. DVD extras include audio commentary by Salina and editor Caitlin Dixon, nearly an hour's worth of bonus interview footage, and archival clips. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)
Flow
(2008) 84 min. DVD: $29.99. Oscilloscope Pictures (avail. from most distributors). Volume 24, Issue 2
Flow
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