All politics is local.
Added 6/6/2009
"All politics is local." And by that token, this film about specific land development issues as illustrated over decades in the life of a specific town is compellingly universal.
Texans, and Austinites in particular, are the ones whose hearts (and blood pressure) will be most affected by this documentary. But I can't imagine an American alive who couldn't recognize some aspect of these issues playing out in his or her own state, or town, or neighborhood.
The value of this story will be most accessible to people who are already interested in government, environmental politics, and the economy. Though made by forthright environmentalists the documentary will be fascinating to those people whether they fall on the pro-growth, slow-growth, or no-growth side of the issues, and rewards your full attention.
The filmmakers do an excellent job of getting all sorts of voices to speak their piece on camera, from former hometown boy Robert Redford and former Texas Governor Ann Richards, to a local farmer with homespun wisdom, to a couple of articulate local developers and the somewhat laconic lobbyist for the corporate interests with which they were aligned. The most telling moment in the film for me is when that lobbyist, who formulated a pro-growth (anti-environmental) law and got it passed at the state level says -- in a completely dispassionate tone -- "Legislature burned Austin to the ground." (That same lobbyist sent a note to the filmmakers when he signed his release for them to use his footage: "Great job!" and drew a smiley face on the post-it.)
I also recommend the engaging bonus commentary track by the director and other crew members, who talk not only about specifics of the issues and personalities in the movie -- they are all longtime locals -- but also offer some extremely useful tips for documentarians and other shoestring filmmakers. One thing: it's helpful when your mentor and advisor is Terrence Malick (another local).
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Worth watching
Added 5/20/2009
I don't remember hearing about this production. I came across it searching for films with conservation and "green" themes. This on is definitely worth taking time to see. It's a scenario you see all over the country. Open land purchased and turned into suburban development.
In Austin, TX, a community fought the development plans. The Unforseen explores the balance needed between development and preservation and the issues of environmental impact and choices between profit and protection.
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A poetic exploration of the meaning of "development" and "property" in America today
Added 2/25/2009
Laura Dunn's poetic and powerful film "The Unforeseen" is about the growth of Austin, Texas: about farmers who want to retain a piece of land they can call their own and live on, about developers who want to fulfill the American dream and transform the land into real estate, about local people who thought it was time to slow things down to preserve the natural character of the place they had come to love, and about lobbyists and politicians who disagreed. The thing to notice is that what happened in Austin is a microcosm of what has been happening in communities all across the United States. This is not a film about some special "environmental" question that only those who have a specific environmental agenda can appreciate and learn from. It is about the questions we all have to face of how we are going to live and where, and what are going to be the long term consequences of our choices.
It also happens to be a beautifully made film, that manages to capture and portray a wide range of complex issues in a way that is clear and engaging and provocative, and manages also to be visually arresting and poetic. This film brings together a number of voices and visions, and what I really like is that the film does not pass judgment on these voices but lets them speak for themselves and lets us determine where we stand on the issues that are exemplified in the time and place depicted here.
Without giving away much more of what is covered in the film, I just want to mention what I took to be its most arresting and powerful message. The film ultimately sides with the hope and belief that the values of progress, of property, of growth, and of the American dream, are not by nature opposed to the values of wilderness and of sustainability and of the environment. What is needed is not a confrontation between the interests of those who want to live a good life and prosper and those who want to save the environment, because at bottom those interests coincide. What is needed is the right kind of progress and the right kind of growth and dreams of a future with a real future, and for that we are all going to need to learn to listen to each other more and work harder to find common ground. By presenting a complex set of issues and a wide range of voices in such a clear and compelling fashion, this film sets the stage for the kind of collaboration and visionary thinking essential to a sustainable future.
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Not to be Missed View of Austin, Texas
Added 2/3/2009
This is a must-see for everyone who loves Austin, Texas. A riveting, heart-breaking view of development in and around this beautiful, fascinating city, over the last few decades.
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The Unforeseen
Added 11/25/2008
This film should be viewed by all, especially those cognizant of what is happening to land all over the country, not just in Texas. Unless we would be satisfied living in a super national suburbia dictated by the un imaginative, we need to become aware of what is being perpetrated by land use engineers now. This film is a fine beginning.
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