Waterlife (2009)

A look at the natural beauty and environmental crisis surrounding the Great Lakes.

Director:

Kevin McMahon

Writer:

Kevin McMahon

Stars:

Bruce Baur, Ernest Benedict, John K. Bruce

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Bruce Baur	...	Himself - Baur Farms
Ernest Benedict	...	Himself - Akwesasne First Nation
John K. Bruce	...	Himself - Green Bay, WI
Robert Budds	...	Himself - Bath, IL
Harriet F. Cassick	...	Herself - Niagara Falls, NY
Jacob W. Cassick	...	Himself - Niagara Falls, NY
Leonard R. Cassick	...	Himself - Niagara Falls, NY
Pat Chow Frasier	...	Herself - McMaster Unviersity
Robert S. Christenson	...	Himself - EPA
Christopher Clayton Carlson	...	Himself - Carlson Builders
Dan Kouchie	...	Himself - Pic River First Nation
Andrea Curtis	...	Herself - Pointe au Baril, Ontario
Erica Curtis	...	Herself - Pointe au Baril, Ontario
Veronik de La Chenelière	...	Herself - Marine Mammal Research Group
Joanne Dejonges	...	Herself - Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore

Storyline

Water's journey from streams entering Lake Superior to the mouth of the Saint Lawrence Seaway takes 350 years. The narration establishes the importance of the Great Lakes for the U.S. and Canada's fresh water. Then, for each of the Great Lakes, plus Lake St. Clair, the film focuses on specific environmental problems: lamprey eels in Lake Superior, heavy metals in Lake Michigan, zebra mussels in Lake Huron, petrochemical waste in Lake Erie, and toxic waste dumps near Lake Ontario all degrade human and animal health. The film argues that governments and industry turn a blind eye to needed clean up and regulation, putting plants, fish, birds, and humans at risk.

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Plot Keywords:

great lakes | lake superior | toxic waste | eel | lake michigan | 

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Taglines:

The epic journey of our water

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Blog Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 May 2009 (Canada)

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Very Contemplative View of Doom

Like many exploratory documentaries intended as polemics, this ends up in that expected place where we are all doomed (which I agree with). The contemplative, quiet style makes this one more disarming than some of its shriller likenesses. In the end, however, it doesn't resonate in your gut like other, softer versions of its kind. Can't say why exactly, but just take a look Manufactured Landscapes for a truly devastating doomsday vision that we won't be able to escape from ... ever. Oh what a world we are handing off to future generations.

That's it. Shame. It doesn't leave us as ashamed as we should be after PCBs, Love Canal, introduced species, reduced yet more contaminated incoming water supplies, overfishing hazardous fish, that cute little whale a quarter of whom have cancer, and whatever else we have done. No Future ...