Trouble The Water: go see it.

I kept forgetting to mention this. If you've not seen it, I recommend highly this feature-length documentary, which currently enjoys some form of limited theatrical release.

Trouble The Water gives us a glimpse into the experience of residents of New Orleans' poorest neighborhoods, ignored by the city's meager evacuation efforts -- an 'evacuation' that provided no transportation for the benefit of residents who lacked access to an automobile. These residents were abandoned to endure Hurricane Katrina from the confines of their homes, located in the neighborhoods that were most vulnerable to the flooding that occurred as a consequence of the breach of the infamous nearby levies.

The protagonist of this film is the New Orleans rap artist Kimberly Roberts whose home-video footage comprises some of the most candid and shocking sequences of the film. She and her friends and family sit huddled in their attic for hour upon hour. Footage captured by Roberts from her attic window reveals common street-signs that are almost entirely submerged by the flood waters. She and the other residents of her neighborhood watch as the water-line continues to rise; many fellow residents -- including elderly people -- are trapped in the crevices of their attics, with no way of freeing themselves. Others are left to perish of starvation.

Even after the rain ceases, no government agency, no rescue operation is anywhere to be found. Those confined to the Roberts home are lucky to spot a stray row-boat passing by -- two and a half stories above where the street would normally be. Using this boat, Roberts's husband Scott, along with others, mounts a couple of heroic rescues of nearby residents. Still: no police, no coast guard, no national guard, no FEMA. And yet, "Brownie" -- we are reminded -- is said to have done "a heck of a job."

The extraordinary story continues, following Kimberly and Scott Roberts as they escape to some semblance of safety, only to contend with racism, bureaucracy, long-lines, paperwork and contempt. Through it all, Kimberly Roberts remains at once unflinching in her willingness to speak truth to power, and unyielding in her optimism. She's an absolutely amazing woman.

If you're not one for righteous indignation, this might not be the movie you'll most enjoy seeing, but you should see it anyway. A human being cannot help but get mad at what he sees, as the Roberts and their friends are forced to confront hypocrisy and injustice at every turn, in the fight for their very survival. There are really only a couple of moments at which the film becomes a little preachy. But I think it more than earns the right to be that way a couple of times. Apart from these miniscule, arguable exceptions, Trouble The Water allows its subjects and their circumstances to speak for themselves.

In conclusion (sorry...I've always wanted to write a final paragraph that begins "In conclusion..."), go see Trouble The Water if and when it appears at a cinema near you, and tell your friends to do the same.