Release: 2005
Director: Ben Rekhi
Writer: Ben Rekhi
Cast: Christopher Masterson, Jon Gries, Ajay Naidu, Jake Muxworthy, Mageina Tovah
Ratings:
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% Critics 48% Audience
IMDb: 5.7/10
Netflix: 2.5 Stars
Review:
Independent films are known for a few things. One being artsy, another they make political statements and they known for strong writing. This movie is all of the above as it is gritty, in your face and a product of our times in the world. Where religious tensions, political motive and terror are all common phrases out of peoples mouths. It is also the reason this movie works so well as it has three encompassing stories wrapped in a unity that brings them all together.
The first being the story of the cousins. One is a slacker and hot headed dope head. Another is a Romeo and Juliet love scene with a Jewish girl and a Muslim Male falling in love and the third a career military man and his family. From the outside looking in you would think none of these stories would mesh or work together. Yet they do as each cross paths which they do. As each cross and or come in contact with each other and if wasn't for the outlying circumstances they would never have known each other existed.
You are asking what is the circumstances that brought these three differering stories together? It is this a eco-terrorist poisoned the water supply of Los Angeles and in the chaos. People do what people do they panicked and went feral. Which is where the cousins come in as they where not prepared and could not follow a plan. As they where both early 20's neither of them where old enough or coherent to comprehend and set forth a plan to succeed in this looming chaotic mess.
Then you have the Military man who wanted to leave yet couldn't. As he had just been given command of his own platoon. Which he had to lead during the crisis all the while dealing with his wife wanting him by her side and worrying that he might not be coming home if things got worse. Which caused grief and hardship as he had to put his duty before his family and ultimately had to make the ultimate sacrifice at the end. But not with his life but his career.
The third is the Romeo and Juliet. Where she had left her family to follow her dream or opening a Yoga Studio. He followed in the steps of his religion and stayed close to home. Where he worked with his mother at her local grocery store and protected her. All the while she kept to the old ways and did not approve of change or of her. But her views changed when she saw the love between her son and his girlfriend after she was part of a hate crime all because she had marked up the price of water and chose to only allow 2 gallons per person.
It would seem that none of these stories would work. Yet they do as each finds their way to the grocery. The mother of soldier is coming to buy food, the Romeo and Juliet are working and cleaning and the cousins are panicking and looking for water. This is also where it ends for one of the cousins as he pulls a gun and holds up the store. While the wife of soldier calls her husband and he leaves his post. Only to come in and shoot the crazed cousin and ultimately his career.
It was not abrupt it was not sudden. You saw it unfolding and you hoped that Brody the crazed cousin would come to his senses but as with any drama. You always have the one that dies and he was that one. It was beautiful it was touching and it was brutally real. It is also the reason that this movie worked so well as it was not overly fictionalized. It was not Hollywood being Hollywood it was a Independent doing his work the way he wanted and it deserves to be seen.
Waterborne is an amazing movie with an amazing set of characters and actors. From Christopher Masterson (Malcolm in the Middle), Ajay Naidu (Office Space) and Mageina Tovah (Spider-Man 2 and 3). This movie might be far from a huge budget but it could not be any better than what it is. As everything is top notch for what they worked with and deserves huge kudos for making this critic fall in love with what is Waterborne.
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
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