Shot in a much more lively fashion than An Inconvenient Truth, Flow both goes out in the field to amass footage detailing the problems and talks with scientists and activists to build its case about a global water crisis. Salina lays out facts meant to jolt people into recognizing the severity of the problem on a global scale. But she starts at a very simple point with our tap water not being safe and how buying bottled water doesn't address the fact that many toxins get into our bodies just by taking a shower. With that information and some gross images of all the microscopic organisms lurking in our drinking water, you should feel properly concerned.
Salina shows the various ways toxins get into the water & (one of the more repulsive images being the waste from a slaughterhouse being dumped into a village's water supply) and then she builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply. She looks to the role politics, pollution, human rights, corporate greed, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel are taking. She points out that water used to be considered a public service and now it's for profit, and what does that mean for poor countries. She also tries to place it in a very human context as when Indian activist Vandana Shiva talks about the spiritual role the Ganges plays in her country.
Flow (unrated) definitely presents it's case forcefully. It's well shot, mixing terrifying images with beautiful ones. But like the recent 11th Hour it bombards you with so much information, much of it as text on the screen, that it's hard to take it all in and at times feels overwhelming. Plus, it spends most of the time trying to scare you and less time providing positive options for what people can do to help improve or change the situation. So you feel more overwhelmed and panicked than energized to try a do something. But overall it's a strong, powerful work that illuminates an important issue.
Here is information on the post film panel discussions:
Friday, 9/19 Panel Discussion (after 7:15 PM screening)
Bill & Susan Loyko, Concerned Citizens Coalition of Stockton
Corie Lopez, Food & Water Watch -will introduce
Saturday, 9/20 Matinee (after 2:35 PM screening)
Jared Criscuolo, San Diego Surfrider Foundation
Saturday, 9/20 Panel Discussion (after 7:15 PM screening)
Michael Wonsidler, ZeroWaste San Diego
Corie Lopez, Food & Water Watch
Tuesday, 9/23 Evening (after 7:15 PM screening)
Becca Innis, San Diego Oceans Foundation
Wednesday, 9/24 Evening (after 7:15 PM screening)
Colleen Woods, I Love A Clean San Diego
Thursday, 9/25 Evening (after 7:15 PM screening)
Bruce Reznik, San Diego Coastkeeper
