Trouble The Water

“We’re truly under seige,” Kimberly Roberts said as her and her husband, Scott crawl into the attic of their Ninth Ward New Orleans home. “Oh, be with us Lord, please,” she asks.  Kimberly and Scott turned on a video camera the day before Hurricane Katrina came ashore.  They returned two weeks later to utter shock.  If you don’t mind profanity, there is likely no other documentary that takes you straight into the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

On August 25 of this year, Zeitgest Films released Trouble the Water.  This documentary that started as a family recording home video of a hurricane has been praised as one of, if not the best, documentaries ever on Hurricane Katrina.  As Scott and Kimberly return to the Ninth Ward to find their homes destroyed, they meet with former neighbors and former enemies as all try to find a way to rebuild their lives.  From watching several feet of water rushing down their street to seeing lives being saved – and lost, this documentary puts you there in the storm and in the aftermath.

“You’re not going to fight for a country that doesn’t give a damn about you.”

A mother to her son wanting to join the military.

Trouble the Water will undoubtedly stir emotions of fear, anger, sadness and grief.  From Kim returning to New Orleans and finding her Uncles home – his decomposed body in the living room – to being turned away from seeking shelter at a US Navy base, this documentary takes you on an emotional roller coaster.  Equally demonstrated is the hassle of dealing with FEMA and the bureaucratic processes in place that seemed more to deter than to assist those in need.

This documentary has earned worldwide acclaim, nominated for an Academy Award, wining the Grand Jury Prize:  Documentary at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, the Grand Jury Award and the Working Films Award at the 2008 Full Frame Documentary Festival, The Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award for Human Rights, and the Special Jury Prize at the 2008 AFI/Silverdocs Festival.  Several critics listed this film in their top Ten of 2008 including Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly, David Denby of The New Yorkek, Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, Stephanie Zacharek of Salon, David Edelstein of New York Magazine and Josh Rosenblatt, The Austin Chronicle.  The documentary has also been rated high on Amazon.com (5 5-star reviews and 1 4-star) and IMDB.com (7.5 out of 10 stars – total 508 votes).

This documentary is also ranked #1 bestseller in Amazon’s History Movies and TV Category, Social Studies History, and #2 for Biography Documentaries.

If you appreciate documentaries and you want to experience the full affects of Hurricane Katrina, buy Trouble the Water. It’ll enhance your appreciation for what the city went through in the days and weeks that followed.

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Tagged as: Hurricane Katrina, Recommendations