Review of Trouble the Water (2008) by Alex W — 24 Jul 2011

Synopsis: A surprising documentary tale of heroism amid tragedy in New Orleans, where a wannabe rapper and her husband brave the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina to rescue their neighbors.

The film is a powerful first-hand account of the events leading up to, during, and after the hurricane Katrina disaster. As a tale of heroism during natural disasters, the film works charmingly well; as we are right in the middle of the storm with it's survivors' amazing footage. As a tale of the physical, mental and spiritual destruction that succeeds a natural disaster, the film works as equally well, as we follow one family through the most difficult times of their lives, it's heartbreaking and somehow uplifting at the same time.

However, as a political statement on the realities of the bureaucratic ideals of New Orleans, Trouble The Water is an important film. Why is it that during one of the most tragic natural disasters in the history of the United States, an American citizen is treated like an unwelcome guest, or that a tourist attraction is cleaned up and rebuilt so that the wealthy can relax, while at the same time impoverished homeowners' neighborhoods are left to rot and fade from memory. It's priorities such as these that need a remedy.

Trouble The Water is a powerful document of heroism and bureaucratic injustice, thats neither preachy nor unnecessarily depressing.