Review of Blue Gold: World Water Wars (2008) by Aaron C — 06 Jan 2019

Malcolm McDonald narrates beautifully throughout the film to demonstrate the water crisis that the world is currently facing. The film is broken into three sections, our water/the environment, The politics and the way forward. As Erik Loomis points out in his article The Global Water Crisis, ï¿ 1/2 1/2A World without Water powerfully shows how the World Bank, in conjunction with western water corporations, has preached the doctrine of privatized water to nations desperate for foreign aid, often leaving governments little choice but to comply (2003).ï¿ 1/2 1/2ï¿ 1/2? I believe ultimately this is the thesis for the film as we see water being looked at as a commodity good rather than a natural resource. Following an expository mode of a script using interviews, examples of processes, and a cause and effect model to easily demonstrate the damage being done to the environment. Stealing water from one area of land or body of water to replace of fill another inherently doesnï¿ 1/2 1/2(TM)t make any sense. As the narrator points out this is primarily due to the world going into a desertification state.

Where I can see people having a problem with this film is during the politics portion. When talking about change, especially those in poverty or troubling state, you are talking about changing lifestyles. Lifestyles of people who are financially okay to afford the water for a longer span than those who canï¿ 1/2 1/2(TM)t go another day. ï¿ 1/2 1/2Unstable water supplies do not simply reinforce poverty. They also threaten the stability of the political order (Loomis, 2003).ï¿ 1/2 1/2ï¿ 1/2? So, how do you change someone elseï¿ 1/2 1/2(TM)s mindset to those who need water more? Inherently, the government from who are elected by the people would protect these resources. But as shown in the documentary, giant corporations are buying out government officials and turning the tides on the public. Being in the United States is a privilege in its own and hopefully, this film brings awareness to enough people in order for a change to be made.

In general, the documentary felt a little too long for my taste but ended on a positive note on how we can change our future. Since the film was made in 2008 and being ten years later, I wonder if the filmmakerï¿ 1/2 1/2(TM)s opinion is on the current situation. There is a bias within the film but not enough where the filmmaker is shoving it in your face. For example, a negative fact or news will be stated and a follow-up picture will be presented to enhance the negativity of the message. This was done when talking about in Mexico City how the water is mostly human feces and sometimes dead dogs and small cuts were made to show also trash and other things. Also, the music is terrible in this film.