The Unforeseen (2008)

Although directed by Laura Dunn, who utilizes landscape shots and historical footage paired with casual interviews in an everyday, passively poetic manner, one can't help but feel the presence of producer Terrence Malick. Also utilized are the dreamlike tones and lush, organic textures even as it dishes out the facts and statistics, having far more in common with the likes of The Thin Red Line than the entertaining and rigid An Inconvenient Truth. However, this documentary does take its' musical cues from Sigur Ros which add to the dreamlike quality. Terrence Malick, a long time resident of Austin, originally conceived the idea for the film and Robert Redford spent his summers in Austin as a child. He learned to swim in the natural springs which feature so prominently in the film and became actively involved when he learned about the developments. The Unforeseen is inspiring in its examination of the power of the individual to fight for environmental preservation and urges viewers to choose between the importance of protecting the individual American's "right to pollute" and the need to secure a safe environment for our future and to do something about it.