One Version of the Story
Added 11/23/2009
Tia Lessin and Carl Deal provide another piece of the Hurricane Katrina puzzle in their documentary Trouble the Water. Their story is told from the perspective of a couple from the flood devestated Ninth Ward Kimberly and Scott Roberts.
The Roberts were poor and had no money to evacuate the city in preparation for the Hurricane so they stayed in their home and turned on their video recorder in hopes of capturing some images that they could sell to the news media in the storm's aftermath. The picture they present is harrowing but it is not one that we haven't seen before. Spike Lee does the better job in his When The Levees Broke. The Robert's story is interesting to watch and Kimberly Roberts is a unique local character. She is a rapper by trade and performs several of her songs in the film.
Maybe I'm jaded having lived through the storm myself. My home is very close to the point where the 17th Street Canal levee failed and I believe the problems with the city had more than a black/white basis. The issues to me were comprehensive and trying to separate them by race doesn't really move the debate forward.
The disc by Zeitgeist features some extended and deleted scenes and several Q&A sessions with the stars and the filmakers. See this for what it is another piece of the story but far from the whole story.
Recommended with reservations.
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Objectively Interesting
Added 11/20/2009
This isn't a film that you can really put all the weight into the filming quality or storyline quality, but it offers a very rare insight into the plight of Katrina to those that couldn't evacuate New Orleans. The picture quality at times can be a nuisance because of the shaking camera, and at times the documentary feels very dry in it's delivery. Overall an interesting movie that will leave you thinking about New Orleans and Katrina in a different light.
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Troubling, but true
Added 11/14/2009
This video is an accurate depiction of what happened during Katrina and afterwards, as well as the life shared by many in New Orleans, I believe. But it is not one that I would share with many friends as the language is so crude, although real. The documentary itself, however, is well done. I know several of the participants in this video and this is the way they are!
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Must See Film
Added 10/27/2009
Trouble the Water is a MUST SEE FILM! I have viewed it many times and have shown it many friends and family members. Every single person I share this film with walks away changed. The in-time footage is breathtaking, the courage and kindness of the people during and after the storm is inspiring and the response of the government to this disaster is eye-opening! After watching Trouble the Water, you may be writing a check for the good people of New Orleans as I did, or at least you will be calling your friends and insisting they watch! Excellent film! Five Stars!
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The most honest Katrina story so far...
Added 10/24/2009
With all due respect for Spike Lee's magnificent "When the Levees Broke", directors Tia Lessin & Carl Deal have produced an account of Katrina that is at once profound and exhilarating in it's straightforwardness. They had not set out to make the final film; it was when they met Kimberly and Scott Roberts that their idea took a different turn. The Roberts' home video footage during the storm and its aftermath is amazing and quite disturbing. Kim does the most talking here, articulating the horrors and sadness without giving in to despair nor noticeable frustration. She speaks intelligently and sensibly, giving a first-hand account of survival. Kim spares no denial of the crime, drugs and poverty, but provides honest and sensitive comments regarding government ambivalence and pure ignorance. One must see the film to genuinely feel the pain. Many reviewers have already gone into detail about elements of the film, so I'll simply recommend this film highly. DVD extras are plentiful; lots of generous interviews and discussions. The directors have presented a powerful documentary, but I have no end of admiration for the Roberts' contribution. Not enough was said about their friend, Larry, a true hero.
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