This beautiful nature documentary is abundant in breadth and depth…
Directors: Jennifer Peedom & Joseph Nizeti
Starring: Willem Dafoe
Running time: 75 minutes
The rise of streaming, for all its benefits, has sadly contributed to the widespread narrowing of what is considered to be 'cinematic'. Tentpole action films can still reliably attract moviegoers to picturehouses en masse, but more understated works have become victim to the curse of “I’ll wait until it’s on Netflix”, and the notion of going to see a documentary on the big screen has become foreign to many. Fortunately, distributors such as Dogwoof are doing their bit to prove that a good doc can be every bit as deserving of the 'cinematic event' moniker as any blockbuster – and the sumptuously-shot River is a fine addition to its lineup.
A spiritual successor to director Jennifer Peedom’s previous film, Mountain, River might just be the most comprehensive documentary on the subject matter possible. There are slow-mos and time-lapses of rivers, swooping drone shots through valleys and intimate close-ups of dancing sediment, and every shade of blue and green under the sun. The film itself resembles a river as it forever remains in motion and seamlessly flows between different reels of breathtaking footage and thought-provoking topics.
Like Mountain, River primarily focuses on the relationship between the human race and rivers over time, bringing an environmental and social element to a topic that could otherwise have been too science-heavy. This shared history is narrated by none other than Willem Dafoe, who gives David Attenborough and Morgan Freeman a run for their money with a soothing voiceover in which he carefully and sincerely enunciates every syllable. “We share our fate with rivers,” Dafoe says as he summarises the documentary’s central theme. “We flow together.”
Gloriously shot and scrupulously detailed
A particularly eye-opening segment within the film sheds light on the harm caused by dams. While their ingenuity as a feat of engineering is acknowledged, they are – no pun intended – damningly accused of “drowning” rivers by stagnating them and causing their land-nourishing sediment to sink. The viewer is reminded that rivers aren’t just a source of drinking water, but are in fact inextricably linked to the functioning of the planet itself in countless ways.
The personification of rivers as life-giving deities is furthered by a spirited score performed by the Australian Chamber Orchestra that recalls Disney’s Fantasia in how we see the water dance along to a rich arrangement of instruments. Behind-the-scenes footage of the orchestra itself – as well as Dafoe in the narrator’s booth – also bookends the film, for a personal touch.
River may not necessarily succeed in captivating the audience for the entirety of its 75-minute running time – it’s to be expected that attention spans will occasionally wane due to the inanimate nature of its subject – but it does a praiseworthy job of constantly introducing new angles to the topic and reeling you back in. Gloriously shot and scrupulously detailed, this documentary earns its place on the big screen.
Did you know? River was conceived both for cinemas and as part of a live tour with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
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