The Unforeseen hits Seattle.
Image by jdong
The movie opens tomorrow at Seattle’s Varsity Theatre. Reviews have come in. Here’s what the Post Intelligencer had to say…
THE UNFORESEEN
Laura Dunn captures the national ecological battle in microcosm in her portrait of the effects of rapid growth in Austin, Texas, on the fragile aquifer that feeds the community. At heart, “The Unforeseen” is about the conflict between two fervently defended American values: the near sovereign right of private property that bestows an owner unrestricted right of use and the communal right to protect the environment and community values by restricting land use. Dunn has her perspective but gives voice to both sides of the issue, which boldly illustrates just how deep and passionate this conflict goes. Along the way, she reminds us that “value” should be not gauged solely in terms of individual monetary profit and loss, and that growth, while healthy for economies, can devastate the natural resources that sustain our lives. That’s the conundrum at the center of the film: The beauty of this desert flower of a West Texas city is what has spurred the growth that may just suck this aquifer dry. (Sean Axmaker)
Grade: A
At Varsity today through Thursday. 93 minutes. No rating, no objectionable language or content.
Pretty brief. Here’s what “The Stranger” had to say.
This enviro documentary about water and development in Austin, TX, is a more visually sophisticated than your average agitdoc, but after a few too many shots of burbling water and grave lines of poetry from Wendell Barry, you start to feel like a hard statistic or two wouldn’t hurt the filmmaker’s case. As it stands, The Unforeseen is a compelling portrait of interests and power–environmentalists lobbying the local government, only to see their efforts blocked by the state legislature; a shadowy lobbyist who consents only to be interviewed at table level as he constructs model warplanes; the last interview ever given by Ann Richards; the rise of George W. Bush.
Are Seattlites just brief? Anyways, they gave it their “Green Star” which is a good thing.
Seattle Weekly reprints a distilled Village Voice review by Jim Ridley (one of the nicest reviews, so we’re glad it’s in syndication!)
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About The Unforeseen
The Unforeseen, executive produced by Terrence Malick and Robert Redford, premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Called "the best film at the festival, hands down" by Film Comment's Gavin Smith, the film documents the struggles between development and preservation of Austin Texas.