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!)
Post Weekend Update
Cinema Guild, our theatrical distributor, told us that The Unforeseen had the second highest PTA (Per Theater Average) in the country this weekend. Thanks Austinites!
We were just behind the new Jared Leto movie about the guy who killed John Lennon… whoo boy. And Cinema Guild’s new foreign film “Alexandra” also opened very strong at NY’s Film Forum.
We got mentions both via IndieWIRE BOT and via Salon’s Andrew O’Herir.
Full Blog is Back
Yahoo completed the upgrade of Twobirdsfilm.com. Now we’re running “Merchant Solutions Standard” which means nothing to virtually everyone reading this. In short, a long overdue housekeeping matter has been resolved.
(Mad props to Yahoo’s Vince Dinh, a tireless firefighter.)
Drafthouse Screening Sells Out… Adds 2 Screens!
To our and Alamo’s complete shock, the 7:15 Friday premiere at Alamo South Lamar sold out. They bumped a studio pic to add a 7:20 showtime and then sold THAT screening out. So then they added a 7:25 screening and sold it out as well.
We noticed that tonight (Saturday) they added a 7:20 screening as well.
“The Unforeseen” In Austin News.
Robert Redford came to Austin to help promote the opening of The Unforeseen. (He flew in from Houston where he was promoting Mat Hames’ new documentary “Fighting Goliath.” Woot!)
Here are the recent Austin writeups:
- KVUE News
- Austin American-Statesman’s Michael Barnes (Strangely the film received no review)
- Austin Chronicle Review (pick of the week)
The Unforeseen plays Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse South
The movie comes home to Austin’s Alamo South Lamar this Friday. Tim and Carrie League have been supportive of Laura’s work since GREEN. With The Unforeseen, they’ve had the trailer playing in front of movies like IN BRUGES and THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Anyways, you can pick up your tickets online by clicking here.
Hope to see you there.
Film plays the DC Environmental Film Fest Friday
This isn’t part of the official theatrical run so it’s one night, one screening only. But if you’re in or near the nation’s capital and want to catch the film, this might be the closest option.
Details here.
Contact Two Birds Film
NPR’s Morning Edition reviews The Unforeseen
An audio distillation of Turan’s LA Times review landed on Morning Edition. Check it out here.
San Francisco Chronicle reviews The Unforeseen
Here’s another one.
What’s unforeseen in “Unforeseen,” a superior documentary by Laura Dunn, are the consequences of a certain mind-set about mankind’s relationship to the world and, finally, to itself. The particulars of the story cover a political battle over a suburban development near Austin, Texas, but the filmmaker clearly has broader issues in mind…
…director Dunn makes the proceeding considerably more palatable by featuring interviews with many participants and observers, including Bradley, who comes across as a nearly broken man. Also speaking on camera is Robert Redford, who as a boy spent summers in Austin and says he learned to swim in Barton Springs. (Redford and filmmaker Terrence Malick, a Texan, are executive producers of the film.)
Full review here.