Trouble The Water DVD Review

Trouble The Water - An E1 Films Release

http://www.troublethewaterfilm.com/

On DVD: August 25th, 2009

Rated PG disturbing content and mature theme

Running time: 96 minutes

Carl Deal (dir.)

Tia Lessin (dir.)

Our reviews below:

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Trouble The Water DVD Review By John C.

**** (out of 4)

24-year old Kimberly Roberts wasn’t able to evacuate New Orleans before hurricane Katrina hit. So she went out with a camcorder and starting recording footage of the destruction caused by the storm, and interviewed people about how it affected them. What this film achieves is being able to show the human side of the situation, and how their faith, and support for one another were able to get them through.

This isn’t a documentary made by outsiders, it’s filmed by people who were actually affected by the situation. This is a fascinating documentary that held my attention from beginning to end. It’s moving and very powerful.

The DVD includes deleted and extended scenes, and interviews with the directors, subjects, executive producer Danny Glover, and film critic Richard Roeper. It also has the featurette “Trouble The Water at the 2008 Democratic National Convention” and the films theatrical trailer.

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Trouble The Water DVD Review By Erin V.

**** (out of 4)

When Hurricane Katrina struck in late August 2005, while many were able to evacuate, many others could not. Those without vehicles had no real means of getting out, and were effectively stranded. That’s the situation Kimberly Roberts found herself in. Armed with a video camera, she captured the moments just before, during, and after the storm on camera.

As a person actually going through the catastrophe of Katrina, filming people’s reactions right then and there, Kimberly has a great advantage in showing us what actually went down. When the National Guard was there - and when they were not...

At the beginning especially, and throughout the film, the camera is shaky. Obviously, when parts of this were starting to be filmed, she could never have known that such a big event was being captured, nor that the footage would end up in a Oscar nominated documentary three years later. I really admire what was made here - which is a very powerful film. This being said, Trouble the Water is definitely worth seeing.

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Trouble The Water DVD Review By Nicole

**** (out of 4)

Trouble The Water is a thought provoking film about Hurricane Katrina, and how one of the worst natural disasters in history affected individual lives. One resident, 24 year old Kimberly Roberts, is stranded along with her husband Scott, as she “doesn’t have a set of wheels”. Kimberly decides to make lemons out of lemonade, by filming her and her neighbours’ adventure through this terrible event. We discover that, while some of the more affluent people get support, others, particularly poor African American families, received almost no government support.* However, despite the tragedies we see in this documentary, Trouble The Water is also very uplifting. We see how Katrina brought out the the best in people. Neighbours would invite people into their boats, trucks, cars, and even invite people into their homes. I especially liked Kimberly, a strong positive person, who despite her difficult past, maintains a powerful faith in God.

While some of the strong language in Trouble The Water may make it unsuitable for a classroom, Trouble The Water is a powerful documentary film, that will stay with you forever. This is one film that definitely should be added to your collection.

*A year after Katrina, the richest mainly white downtown neighbourhoods were fixed up, while the poor, suburban and predominately black neighbourhoods were left in ruins.

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Trouble The Water DVD Review By Maureen

***1/2 (out of 4)

It’s no surprise that this is an award winning documentary. Trouble The Water is a powerful, raw and personal look at the terrifying experience of living through Hurricane Katrina and then desperately trying to navigate the bureaucracy that will allow people to rebuild their lives.

The home video footage by Kimberly Roberts of her experience of being trapped in her attic with her family is amazing to watch. This documentary then follows Kimberly and her husband as they try to rebuild their lives.

The strength of Trouble The Water is Kimberly Roberts. Her tough-talking but but extremely positive spirit are what make Trouble The Water compelling to watch. Her faith in God and her instincts as a survivor move her forward in an amazing way. A high point for me was watching her sing her rap song “Amazing”, a story of her troubled youth.

As hard as a lot of this was to watch, it was harder not to watch. There is so much to learn from Trouble The Water. This DVD is definitely worth checking out. Trouble The Water includes conversations with the directors, executive producer Danny Glover and the films subjects.

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Trouble The Water DVD Review By Tony

*** (out of 4)

Review Coming Soon!

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Consensus: ***3/4 (Out of 4)