HotDocs 09: Waterlife
Please, please, please see this movie! Gisèle Gordon writes about Waterlife by Kevin McMahon for the Hot Docs program, “This stunning ode to the last great supply of fresh water on earth, the Great Lakes, immerses us in their extraordinary beauty, ecological complexity, and extreme state of distress. Under assault on all fronts by a deadly combination of industrial toxins, sewage, invasive species, climate change, and profound apathy, they are on the verge of irreversible collapse.”
I’m slightly leery of using the term ode to describe this film, or “poetic essay,” which Gordon uses later on in the description. While they are apt terms for this film, the idea of a meandering, experiential documentary is something that wide audiences in the US don’t gravitate toward, and I have high hopes for Waterlife, one of the most stunning films about the environmental crisis I’ve ever seen.
McMahon chooses the Great Lakes as his main character – these 5 fresh water bodies between the US and Canada hold 20% of the world’s fresh water. Those who are in the know about environmental issues understand that we are hemorrhaging water and at some point in the not-too-distant future, we may stop fighting for oil and start fighting for water. What happens to this 20% of fresh water could very well be an issue of national security. So it is profoundly disturbing to see within one film the wide array of issues that face the Lakes with such clarity.
Sensuous cinematography (by John Minh Tran, who also shot Examined Life) and a top-notch soundtrack pull us in to the natural beauty of this place. McMahon establishes also the relationship of humans to this environment, as open space and clean water to recreate in is one of our fundamental needs. I literally leapt out of my seat when when we abruptly stop for a visit a paper factory. It is the first intrusion of industry chronicled in the film and its entrance to the rather pastoral images is jarring. After seeing all of the wood and water being used to make those crisp white sheets that we take so for granted, I was prepared for a seriously depressing trip through the Lakes.
The information contained in Waterlife is powerful and disturbing, but all of the problems are interwoven with a visual and aural tapestry that allow us to also feel why we cannot be beyond hope that it is possible to use our ingenuity to deal with the problems. There is also humor, such as the redneck fishing contest of netting jumping Asian carp. The fish are an invasive species that are inedible, so folks head out in boats and catch them as they leap from the river. I doubt the sport will remove the species entirely, but it looked like a rather fun day on the water.
An Inconvenient Truth was an important film not only because it is a doc that did well at the box office, but because it was the nudge that tipped public awareness to environmental issues. It brought together the evidence of environmental degradation into one, credible spot. Waterlife, to me, represents the next step in our education. How do all of these various problems intersect with one another? Looking at a single issue is hard enough but understanding ecosystems and the multiple impacts and their effects seems to large of a task for a single film, but Waterlife is successful in this.
Going from a factory to city sewage, understanding the flow of a river and how the pollutants move through it and then seeing the effects on the people and animals that live with those effects, is the kind of systemic investigation we need. If you don’t live around the Great Lakes, it actually doesn’t matter, because the same industrial processes, sewage, damming, invasive species, etc. are taking place on each river and fresh water source we have. This story isn’t localized, though using this important example illustrates the interconnectedness in rich detail.
If you in Toronto, please see Waterlife on Sunday, May 10 at 4:15. It deserves to be seen on the big screen, and I rarely say that, so take note. Not only does it contain important information presented in a way that we haven’t seen before but it is a beautiful cinematic experience. A spoon full of sugar helping the medicine go down.
The official Waterlife website
[youtube]MP8e9fTP7Ig[/youtube]
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Comment by Kevin McMahon on 11 May 2009:
Agnes
Thanks so much for your kind words about “Waterlife”. We put quite a bit of our time, energy, money and love into this film, so it is really gratifying to have it so warmly appreciated.
And I’m delighted to have discovered “doc it out”. I will be a regular reader from now on!
FYI, Waterlife opens in Toronto June 5 and Vancouver June 19. We have no American distributor, but will be arranging as many public screenings as we can on the US side of the lakes this summer. Sundance Channel will put the film on TV sometime this autumn
Oh, and you might want to check out the new interactive web site that just went up at ourwaterlife.com
Thanks again
All the best
Kevin
Comment by Gillian Wheatley on 11 May 2009:
Really amazing film. The music too was especially great. Is anyone aware of a place to find the list of artists from the film?
Thanks.
Comment by Agnes Varnum on 11 May 2009:
Thank you Kevin, for taking time to post here. Gillian, I’d check out the website for the film, ourwaterlife.com – Hot Docs was the world premiere so I’m sure more materials will be available in the coming months.
Comment by Kevin McMahon on 21 May 2009:
In response to Gillian’s question about the music in Waterlife, here it is:
WATERLIFE
ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY KURT SWINGHAMMER
SONGS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE:
ANTHEM-PART 3
COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY PHILLIP GLASS
© 1987 DUNVAGEN MUSIC PUBLISHERS.
LICENSED COURTESY OF WARNER MUSIC CANADA CO.
SVO HLJÓTT
COMPOSED BY BIRGISSON/DYRASON/HOLM/SVEINSSON
PERFORMED BY SIGUR ROS
USED BY PERMISSION OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING CANADA
COURTESY OF SIGUR ROS UNDER LICENSE FROM UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA
COLOURS
WRITTEN BY HILMAR ORN HILMARSSON
COURTESY OF FAT CAT RECORDS
BY ARRANGEMENT WITH BANK ROBBER MUSIC C/P STEF/NCB
USED BY PERMISSION OF HILMAR ORN HILMARSSON
FACADES
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY PHILIP GLASS
© 1978 DUNVAGEN MUSIC PUBLISHERS.
USED BY PERMISSION, COURTESY OF SONY
THE BUCK CLAN
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY DAVID R MARACLE
USED BY PERMISSION, COURTESY OF NATIVE EXPRESSIONS
DEEP BLUE DAY
COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY BRIAN ENO WITH DANIEL LANOIS AND ROGER ENO
PUBLISHED BY UPALA MUSIC, INC (BMI)
COURTESY OF EMI MUSIC CANADA
A THOUSAND TALL SHIPS/THE SCHOLAR/MISS MCCLOUD’S REEL
ARRANGED BY THE IRISH DESCENDANTS
PERFORMED BY THE IRISH DESCENDENTS
COURTESY OF BEEN THERE DONE THAT ENTERTAINMENT
http://WWW.IRISHDESCENDANTS.COM
CHICAGO
COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY SUFJAN STEVENS
COURTESY OF ASTHMATIC KITTY AND NEW JERUSALEM MUSIC / ASCAP
http://WWW.NEWJERUSALEMMUSIC.COM
SOUTHBOUND
COMPOSED BY RICHARD BETTS
PERFORMED BY THE ALLMAN BROTHERS
USED BY PERMISSION WARNER / UNICHAPPEL MUSIC INC.
COURTESY OF THE ISLAND DEF JAM MUSIC GROUP
UNDER LICENSE FROM UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA
AN ENDING (ASCENT)
COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY BRIAN ENO
PUBLISHED BY OPAL MUSIC, INC (BMI)
COURTESY OF EMI MUSIC CANADA
LIKE THE RIVER
WRITTEN BY MARK KOZELEK
PERFORMED BY SUN KIL MOON
COURTESY OF CALDO VERDE
BY ARRANGEMENT WITH BANK ROBBER MUSIC
UNTITLED #6
WRITTEN BY BIRGISSON/DYRASON/HOLM/SVEINSSON
PERFORMED BY SIGUR ROS
USED BY PERMISSION OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING CANADA
COURTESY OF FAT CAT RECORDS UNDER LICENSE FROM UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA
THE GANG’S ALL HERE
KEN CASEY (ASCAP) / RICK BARTON (ASCAP) / MATHEW EDWARD KELLY (ASCAP)
PERFORMED BY DROPKICK MURPHYS
BOSTON SCALLY PUNK/DR ZEUSS MUSIC
USED BY PERMISSION OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC CORP. (ASCAP)
FROM THE ALBUM “THE GANGS ALL HERE”
COURTESY OF HELLCAT RECORDS (P) 1999
“2/2″ (AMBIENT)
COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY BRIAN ENO
USED BY PERMISSION OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING CANADA
COURTESY OF EMI MUSIC CANADA
FARMHOUSE
WRITTEN BY TREY ANASTASIO/TOM MARSHALL
COPYRIGHT WHO IS SHE? MUSIC, INC. (BMI)
PERFORMED BY VITAMIN STRING QUARTET
ARRANGED AND PRODUCED BY KYLE NEWMASTER
COURTESY OF CMH RECORDS, INC.
LOVE YOU
WRITTEN BY SANDRA DEDRICK AND JOE ZYNCZAK
(C) J.A. ZYNCZAK, INC.
PERFORMED BY THE FREE DESIGN
COURTESY OF LIGHT IN THE ATTIC RECORDS
BY ARRANGEMENT WITH J.A. ZYNCZAK, INC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USED BY PERMISSION
THE GATE
COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY SAM LEWIS ROBERTS (SOCAN)
USED BY PERMISSION OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING CANADA (SOCAN)
COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA
COLOURS
WRITTEN BY HILMAR ORN HILMARSSON
COURTESY OF FAT CAT RECORDS
BY ARRANGEMENT WITH BANK ROBBER MUSIC
C/P STEF/NCB
USED BY PERMISSION OF HILMAR ORN HILMARSSON
GHOST DANCE
WRITTEN BY ROBERTSON AND WILSON
PERFORMED BY ROBBIE ROBERTSON
MEDICINE HAT MUSIC & WB MUSIC CORP.
USED BY PERMISSION WARNER/CHAPPEL MUSIC INC.
COURTESY OF EMI MUSIC CANADA
FESTIVAL
COMPOSED BY BIRGISSON/DYRASON/HOLM/SVEINSSON
PERFORMED BY SIGUR ROS
USED BY PERMISSION OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING CANADA (SOCAN)
LICENSED COURTESY OF XL RECORDS
SORTA PLAY THAT SORTA STUFF
COMPOSED BY BOSCO & JORGE
PERFORMED BY BOSCO & JORGE
COURTESY OF ¿WHO-HEY? RECORDS
MORNING MOON
WRITTEN BY G. DOWNIE, J. FAY, R. BAKER, G. SINCLAIR, P. LANGLOIS
PERFORMED BY THE TRAGICALLY HIP
LITTLE SMOKE MUSIC (SOCAN) ADMINISTERED BY SOUTHERN MUSIC PUB. CO. CANADA LTD. (SOCAN)
COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA