Waterborne

In Los Angeles, the authorities find that the tap water is contaminated due to a terrorist attack after the death of eight dwellers. The military Ritter (Jon Gries) leaves his wife Jasmine (Lindsay Price) and his daughter at home to patrol the dam with the bigoted and stressed soldier Carlton (Chris Berry). The Sikh matriarch Heera Bhatti (Shabana Azmi), who has a convenience store, increases the price of bottled water and limits the sell to two units per person. Her son Vikram Bhatti (Ajay Naidu) that works with her is not comfortable with her decision. When his Caucasian girlfriend Lillian "Lilly" (Mageina Tovah) visits him at the store, his mother gives a cold reception to her. Meanwhile the local Zach (Christopher Masterson) decides to visit his father with his cousin Bodi (Jake Muxworthy), who is a reckless and unbalanced person. However his father does not accept the Zach brings Bodi and they go to the trailer of Bodi's friend Donovan (Noah Segan). Along the three next days, their lives are entwined with tragic consequences in a environment of violence and despair.

"Waterborne" is an indie movie with an interesting idea of the behavior of people without water. The story shows prejudice everywhere and the conclusion is simple: take the water and people turn into animals, guided by the sense of survival and prejudice.

The direction and the acting are convincing; the screenplay could have been improved but is not bad; the music score contributes with the movie. Unfortunately the camera work and the lighting are very poor. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Estado de Alerta" ("State of Alert")

"Waterbourne" had a lot of potential, and it's really a shame that someone with the cash didn't pick it up and make it properly. It deals with the fears and absolute terror that come when one is deprived of one of the very necessities of life...water, and the desperate things that one will do in order to survive. As one reviewer has said before, it's like a cross between "Crash", and another disaster movie like "Earthquake" or something else equally earth-shattering.

I lived through 30 days of no water during the floods of 1993 here in the Midwest of the United States (Des Moines, IA), and this film probably comes closest to demonstrating the fear that was experienced by many people during the first 24-48 hours after we realized that our water supply for a city this size was shot. Luckily for us, we didn't experience a situation like "Waterbourne" displayed for us. Our people pulled together, and worked together. We gained strength from our situation. This, unfortunately wasn't an aspect shown in this film.

Not a bad movie, but not a great movie either. As previously stated by another reviewer, the camera work is very rough. It's definitely a thinking persons movie though...very dark and foreboding, so if you enjoy that type of movie then this is the one for you! I wouldn't recommend this for any person with psychological difficulties or anyone seriously disturbed by thoughts of terrorism. It has the potential to mess with your mind.

I just saw Waterborne about 20 minutes ago at the Tallgrass Film Festival in Wichita, KS. I was drawn to the movie because I heard that Dredg (most awesome band practically ever; not a bold statement at all) composed the score. The movie and the music blew me away. So many emotional elements was encompassed. I thought that Ben Rekhi did a great job targeting instinctual drives, discrimination, love, ethical dilemmas, religion, morals and more. Awesome movie!!!! I'd totally watch this again on the big screen. Dredg's music was awesome too. I loved when Dredg's powerfulness was blaring during the night of the first day (I don't feel that I'm being a spoiler by saying this). That was my favorite instrumental moment; very awesome. Now I'm ready for the DVD/soundtrack to come out. A+++++++++++++++++

I saw the World Premiere of "Waterborne" at South by Southwest, and it is compelling both as an examination of what would happen if Los Angelos came under biological attack and as a human drama. The acting is excellent, the music is original and works perfectly, and the direction is right-on for this kind of film. This movie ought to get released; it does a better job than any big Hollywood movie ever could at dealing with the true terror that a contaminated water supply could bring about.

The story is told through the eyes of a few different characters, all of whom are at a point in their lives where a widespread panic allows some hidden anxieties to show. The dialogue is authentic and the characters are excellent and varied. I especially enjoyed the multi-cultural flair of the film - in too many of these kinds of movies, the people affected are cultural stereotypes, but "Waterborne" plays with that notion to fine effect. Indeed, the LA in "Waterborne" - like the one in the real world - is populated by Sikhs finding their place post -9/11 and clashing with older generations, military officers with a conscience who marry outside of their race, and middle-class twenty-somethings dealing with a scary world. "Waterborne" actually creates multi-layered characters and shows how many things that seethe under the surface will bubble up in a time of terror and panic.

At the South by Southwest screening, the producers gave out free bottles of water, and needless to say the entire audience looked at the bottles differently after the movie was over. If you get a chance to see this, take advantage: it's a very cool film.

The impact of current paranoia about domestic terrorist threats are brought home in an provocative story that plays out in a Los Angeles neighborhood when it's discovered that someone has contaminated the water.

Screenwriter/Director Ben Rekhi articulately features differing points of view from disparate characters who eventually intersect as they all struggle with the reality of the lack of water. There are no clichés in this story, which is filled with fully realized characters and some excellent moments as characters face their fears, and the consequences of their actions.

Don't let the fact that Waterborne only received a second runner up audience award at SXSW fool you. The SXSW program this year was full of excellent films that showcased the power of independent film making, and considering Hooligans, arguably the most anticipated world premiere at SXSW '05, the fact that Waterborne placed with an audience award is telling.

Waterborne is a memorable film that deserves a wide audience.