Review by Sunny Oh.

The area surrounding Barton Springs near Austin, Texas is stunning: bubbling aquifers, unspoiled greenery. Developers want to pave over this idyll to build a subdivision.

The Unforeseen (produced by Robert Redford) shows the environmental devastation caused by suburban sprawl and unchecked development. However, this documentary is not just liberal propaganda. Director Laura Dunn presents interviews with a wide variety of people, including the developer responsible for numerous subdivisions around Austin. We also hear comments from families who buy into the subdivisions, from large corporations and economists. Their voices, along with the thoughts of grassroots activists, farmers, and environmental scientists, create a multi-faceted look at the conflict between development and the environment. Laura Dunn also presents Barton Springs from many visual viewpoints: aerial photography, gorgeous pastoral shots, maps, developers’ schematic diagrams.

Like the proverbial grain of sand, the conflict at Barton Springs exemplifies a greater crisis. Anyone interested in the viral nature of our economic system, the disregard it holds for clean water and public amenities, should watch this documentary.

The Unforeseen
Laura Dunn | USA | 2007 | 93min

Sun. Sept. 30 | 10:45am | VanCity Theatre
Sun. Oct. 7 | 7:15pm | Empire Granville Theatre
Tue. Oct. 9 | 3:30pm | Empire Granville Theatre