Directed by: Carl Deal and Tia Lessin
It’s been 4 years now since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Southeastern United States, and for most of us, it was a few weeks of tragedy and controversy that was sensationalized by the media, debated by celebrities and politicians, and then quickly discarded. But in New Orleans, where the failure of the levee system resulted in over 80% of the city being flooded, very real damage was done to the population and economy, and the after effects are still being felt today.
Spike Lee covered nearly every facet of this disaster in his epic 4-hour documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, which came out one year after the storm. One might assume that there would be nothing left to say after such a comprehensive film by a well-respected filmmaker, but as Trouble The Water proves, this is clearly not the case.
Back in 2005, it was reported that Michael Moore had sent a film crew down to New Orleans to cover the crisis, and a lot of people rolled their eyes at the thought of Moore attempting to capitalize on the situation. While Moore himself never did put together a film, two of his producers did. Carl Deal and Tia Lessin began interviewing residents shortly after the storm had passed, and along the way they happened to meet up with Kimberly and Scott Roberts, which changed the direction of their film entirely. Kimberly had already shot a lot of firsthand footage of the flooding that destroyed their home on a Hi-8 camera, and from that point on, a film crew began to follow them and document their attempt to get their lives back on track.
Kim’s footage from the storm itself is as raw and real as it gets. She narrates as we see the storm intensifying and the city clears out, but in her neighbourhood (the 9th Ward), many residents cannot afford to leave and have nowhere to go. Her family decides to wait out the storm in their home, but when the levees break and the streets start to flood, they soon find themselves trapped in the attic with the water level still rising. It is the heroics of her brother that manages to get them all to safety, but throughout the entire ordeal, Kimberly’s strong personality and optimism gives them hope.
Although this would have been compelling enough on its own, it is the story of what follows that really makes Trouble the Water such an unforgettable and important film. We see them retrace the path they took once they realized that no immediate help was coming. We watch as they go through the motions with FEMA and try to collect their checks, only to be thwarted by bureaucratic red tape. We accompany them as they cope with a change of scenery after relocating to Memphis. At every turn there is frustration and anger, but our own emotions are kept in check by the admirable actions of the film’s subjects, who concentrate on helping those around them and affecting the things that are within their reach. Kim, an aspiring rapper, is at times loud and larger than life, but she has a big heart and a strong will that helps them to overcome every obstacle they encounter.
It’s not the prettiest film in the world, but neither is the subject matter. The movie never feels manipulative or overtly political, and with deft editing and a keen focus on keeping the film personal, it really tells a story from Katrina that we haven’t heard before. Trouble the Water puts us in the shoes of the people who experienced it rather than the people who just talked about it. At a time when first-person fictional films like Cloverfield are accused of feeling contrived, here is the proof that documenting your own life during a crisis is both natural and instinctive. Rather than coming across as self-centered and self-serving, it is an inspiration to all who see it. Trouble the Water is a must-see film, not just because it’s about Katrina but because it’s a gripping portrait of survival and what it’s like to live life outside the system.
Extras on the DVD include deleted and extended scenes, Q&As from the Roger Ebert Film Festival and the New Orleans community premiere, plus footage of Kim meeting New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin.
Trouble The Water is available on DVD in the U.S. through Zeitgeist Films.
– Sean
Great Documentary ! inspired me to make one of my own
This was a great documentary and Kim rapped a beautiful song toward the end; she is a very talented woman. It amazes me how people who face the most incredible odds have such talent. NO ORGANIZED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION OUT DURING EMERGENCIES is something that a lot of people (with cars) never even thought about prior to or even after Katrina! In most of Europe there probably would have been public transportation provided, at the very least. [Prior to Good Year, Standard Oil -- and some other car related conglomeration buying up all the trolley tracks in Los Angeles, for example, the "motor city" once had some of "the best public transportation in the world." Hard to believe that today.] Corporate interests are so closely tied to the government that people are vastly forgotten, especially the descendants of slaves who put in billions of free hours building this country for which they have never been compensated. Then a bunch of ignorant people complain about people wanting free handouts. We (usually white descendants of slave-owners) had all of OUR free handouts for years — using slave labor, the prerequisite for many of the privileges we have today. But no substantial efforts have been made to compensate or even create a level playing field, let alone properly repair the levies in New Orleans (that effect places like the ninth ward the most). Higher, drier, safer ground was taken up by the more privileged classes long ago. Is there a place to make donations to the group that made this film? They really should be rewarded and supported for making something out of nothing. Also, someone could start a collection for the brother in the film who was never compensated by FEEMA due to a lack of address. Seeing all the systems that have been set up to send aid to Haiti made me wonder if such systems could also be set up for New Orleans recovery in the areas that have been neglected. That $2000 FEEMA COMP AMOUNT for example, could be raised in an instant with some kind of $1 cell phone contribution method like the ones that have been set up for Haiti (which we all should continue to support for similar reasons.)