Watermark

Name: Watermark
Genre: Documentary
Released: April 4, 2014
Duration: 92 min
Rating: 68

2014

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Ratings

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5.7

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5.7	Your Score
5.7	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Ratings

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Watermark

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Movie Details & Credits

Entertainment One | Release Date: April 4, 2014 | PG

Summary: Award winning filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nick de Pencier, and renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky, beautifully weave together diverse stories from around the globe that eloquently detail humanity’s relationship with water through the ages: how we are drawn to it, how we use it, and the magnitude of our need for this rapidlyAward winning filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nick de Pencier, and renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky, beautifully weave together diverse stories from around the globe that eloquently detail humanity’s relationship with water through the ages: how we are drawn to it, how we use it, and the magnitude of our need for this rapidly depleting resource. Full of soaring aerial perspectives, this film shows water as a terraforming element and the scale of its reach. This is balanced by forays into the particular: a lingering memory of a stolen river, a mysterious figure roaming ancient rice terraces. These images, both beautiful and haunting, create a compelling global portrait that illustrates humanity’s past, present and future relationship with the natural world. [Entertainment One]… Expand

Director: Edward Burtynsky and Jennifer Baichwal

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: PG

Runtime: 92 min

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Critic Reviews

Kenneth Turan

Apr 17, 2014

If Watermark does nothing else, it will make you question society's contradictory view of water use. Read full review

Peter Debruge

Apr 4, 2014

Despite the staggering range of material Watermark manages to present — Burtynsky’s five-year undertaking is certainly the most encompassing survey any one artist has ever dedicated to the subject — it’s still just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

Apr 17, 2014

Here's a case of images in the service of important ideas, rather than entertainment, yet they could hardly be more powerful, from roaring torrents released by a dam in China to a lyrical helicopter shot of a glistening river in British Columbia. Read full review

Mike D'Angelo

Apr 2, 2014

There’s a difference between an exhibition of one photographer’s work and a speedy tour of a museum’s entire photography wing, and Watermark feels more like the latter, despite Burtynsky’s involvement. Read full review

The Guardian Mike McCahill

Sep 22, 2014

It’s not as focused as its predecessor, but its best sequences rehydrate the mind. Read full review

Empire Patrick Peters

Sep 1, 2014

Beautiful to look at but lacking a strong point. Read full review

Randy Cordova

May 1, 2014

Although the visuals are spectacular — a barren Colorado River looks like a landscape from a science-fiction epic — there's not much else here to grab on. Read full review

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User Reviews

TheDRauch

Nov 27, 2014

I'm not exaggerating when I say that Watermark has some of the most staggering imagery I've seen in film all year. A film about a topic as vast as water is bound to have it's reach exceed it's grasp. The attempt at unifying these gorgeous visual vignettes into an all-consuming theme is notI'm not exaggerating when I say that Watermark has some of the most staggering imagery I've seen in film all year. A film about a topic as vast as water is bound to have it's reach exceed it's grasp. The attempt at unifying these gorgeous visual vignettes into an all-consuming theme is not so much a failure as it is incredibly vague. This movie is less a work of Terrence Malick (sans the poetic narration and disjointed narrative) than it is one of those 'OFF THE AIR' segments that plays on Adult Swim at four in the morning but stretched out to a feature-length runtime, which I see no real problem in. There are some slight gripes to be had. Each 'storyline' is so disparate from the next that a jarring effect is created. Maybe this is to make commentary on how universal and diverse the application of water around the world is, but, if so, the immense imagery we have on display here is wasted on such a tame thesis. I would have preferred the film simply overwhelmed me with sheer color and visual scope (which it has in abundance, believe me) than attempt to label some sort of 'meaning' to it. The human aspect of Watermark is severely lacking, is what I mean to say. In spite of most of the astounding shots of dams and farms having elements of humanity, when an interview is conducted or the focus of the film steers clear of it's cinematography, my interest seems to drift. But when it's all said and done, once Watermark hits a stride of optic grandeur, it certainly leaves it's MARK. LEEL LEEL LEEL. Seriously, though, check this out. If anything, convert some still shots from the movie to a slideshow background on your iMac. You won't be disappointed.… Expand

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