Steineded
How sad is this?
Pluskylang
Great Film overall
Tymon Sutton
The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.
kosmasp
With the many documentaries that are coming out lately you are used to a high quality. Being because they are funny or because they are very interesting. Unfortunately this ticks neither of those boxes correctly. It seems to wander around like water would once you spill it ... no clear direction.I think there is a very good movie hidden somewhere, but it will be tough for you to find it. It's a shame, because quite a lot of people would interested in more specifics rather just some "nature videos" and a couple of hints here and there, what goes wrong. Just when you think it is heading the right direction, it swerves and goes "wrong" again ... Shame
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Watermark" is the newest documentary by Jennifer Baichwal and you could probably take one quote from it to describe it the best way there is: It's about how water shapes us and how we shape water. Basically it shows us the different way in which water is used today in several branches. These include religion, science, economy, industry...There is really not a lot more to say. The film provides decent information, but it is by no means a must-see. Also I felt that something was missing for this to become a quality movie. It is difficult to name it concretely, maybe the lack of narration, maybe something else. Apart from the occasionally stunning photography and impressive recordings of water masses, this film is really only a must-see for people who live in the areas depicted in this documentary.
michaelhirakida
Watermark's opening minutes is a long drawn out shot of gates opening releasing huge amounts of water. We then cut to what feels like 5 minutes, to nothing. A dried up river. What a memorable way to open a film.This is one of the best looking movies I have seen in a long time and it shows. But, that is the main problem I have with it. It is so beautifully shot, that it is overlooks its message. We are so busy looking at the most amazing scenery that we forget what the movie is really about which the people being interviewed for such a short time remind us.The movie's main message is what one of the people say: Nothing lasts forever. They talk about how we are all water, how every species drinks water, how water is used to help make things, but the thing is we do know about some of this already. But, the things we don't know are at the most amusing.I have nothing else to say about this movie and I am sorry. But all it is, is it's eye candy. Nothing more, nothing less. Overlooking its message. The reason I rated it 7 is because there were so many memorable shots in the movie that I loved. But for the rest, it tries to get its point across, but rarely does.71/100 B-
Sophia Aragon
I have recently watched two political documentaries. First, The Unknown Known. Second, Watermark.The first one is about glorifying a psychopath. It tells of his exploits as he uses humanity as subjects of his experiments. Its only saving grace is its honesty as it is unquestionably political.The second one is this one, Watermark, and it has absolutely none of this honesty. It is a documentary that uses the awesomeness of nature to disguise political propaganda. It is essentially babies and puppies. Cheap manipulation to sneak in an ideology.A number of these "nature" documentaries is being made nowadays. Big, big, big money is being given to "friendly" folks in the movie industry. Pockets full of cash, they are taking their skills around the world (literally) and making visually high-quality films. Unfortunately, the price of this funding is a script that makes adults cringe.Consequently, this kind of "nature" documentaries is meant to be played in mute. Mozart, Armstrong, (or Pink Floyd if that's your preference) are far superior material to listen to while enjoying the unspeakable magnificence of our planet.Watermark is also boring at times. The political obsession coupled with a jejune understanding of society and culture compromises the choice of visual subject. If they cannot use as a weapon to hurl at you, they won't show it.
