Water

Water attempts to answer the sort of simple question a five-year-old might ask: where does water come from? Of course, easy questions don't always produce easy answers. Directors Anastasiya Popova and Julia Perkul's expansive documentary Water creates new mysteries as it delves deeper into this broad subject. How, for instance, can water exist in three states: solid, liquid, and gaseous? And how is it able to acquire new properties while maintaining the same chemical composition? Water features interviews with experts from around the globe (including Swiss Nobel Prize recipient Kurt Wüthrich) who explain the myriad ways in which H20 differs from other elements, while also incorporating stock footage, computer graphics, and dramatic recreations, yet few will mistake Water for a Discovery Channel or National Geographic special, since it comes from the same distribution company behind the New Age phenomenon What the Bleep Do We Know!? As narrator Lex Lang muses in his introduction, “Perhaps only water itself knows the answers to these questions,” providing a hint that theology, philosophy, and the power of positive thinking will also play a part in this examination that ultimately makes the argument that water benefits humankind most when we treat it with respect. Unfortunately, Water tends to draw too little distinction between provable hypotheses and unverifiable stories about water-related miracles throughout the ages. Still, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)