I chose this movie to review for one of my college classes, "Sustainability and the Future; Seven Revolutions." As a nontraditional student who is retired from the military, I am very cautious of what environmentalists say. As a child of the 70's I remember being taught in school that the next big Ice Age was coming do to global cooling, so skepticism was the rule for me initially when watching this film. The noticeable left leaning tone of the movie initially almost forced me to change my mind on continuing with this project. In the end I chose to at least finish watching the film before making my final decision. That choice was a good one in my opinion now that I have finished watching the film. The film brings into perspective the tie-in of world politics, multinational corporations, local-national economies, and water. The bottle water industry has always been a mystery to me as to why it took off in inside the United States. Overseas where there is limited or no infrastructure for providing easy access to potable water it is understandable. The convenience of being able to get a chilled bottle of water really isn't worth the cost to me. Personally I drink too much water throughout my day to be able to afford the luxury of buying my water that way! The advertising that makes it appear that bottled water is in some way healthier than the tap is crazy. In some areas the bottled water is just tap water that has been packaged and sold at a much higher price than the regular tap water. The one area that absolutely leaves me scratching my head is the privatization of water supplies. The World Bank actually forcing a country to privatize its water to get help? How is it possible that this can be seen as a good thing? I have traveled extensively in Africa, Southwest and Southeast Asia; it never dawned on me the extent of how closed the water markets are in some of these areas. Now looking back the film brought up the pricing of water and coke in African nations. That is so true, I did see it and didn't realize at the time what it meant to the locals. I could not fathom living in a country that subsisted in that manner. In my own country I never would have thought that it was a good idea to sell the water rights to a multinational corporation. Major cities have done just that, and what has it cost the citizen of those cities in rate hikes, sub-par service and other factors. We as citizens of the United States need to wake up and see that we are cutting our own throats in some aspects by allowing Politicians and Business CEOs to make life altering choices with the essential things we need to sustain life as we know it without even a vote on the matter. We also need to hold United States Corporations to higher standard when they operate in other countries around the world as they are part of the problems highlighted in this film. Yes, Coke; I am talking about you! Overall I will give this film an 8 out of 10. As it is a older film a lot of the information is still relevant and most people are not aware of what we are doing to our country or the world with the everyday actions we take in living our lives. I watched Tapped after this and might even do a review of it later on.Thank You for reading my review!

This documentary and another made the following year on another aspect of the same subject by different people, TAPPED (2009, see my review), are both highly pertinent to the question of whether the human species will continue to exist or not. Public ignorance of the most crucial matters affecting our future as a species is truly remarkable. Nowadays people can no longer agree about carbon emissions, but one thing which should be agreed by everyone with any argument at all is that the future of the fresh water supply for the world is greatly endangered, and if we don't begin to focus on that problem without further delay, future generations will all die, and humanity will become extinct, along with most animal and plant species as well. Are we really so lazy that we do not care? Sometimes it seems that way. Otherwise, why are films like this not better known? The two films should be shown in all schools, they should be shown by all parents to their children, they should be on television, and above all, they should be shoved down the throats of all the idiot politicians who are doing nothing to save the human species, being too busy with stuffing their pockets with cash from corrupt sources in return for selling off public water to corporate buyers. This film attacks the 'sale' of the water (including even sometimes the rainwater!!) of some cities, counties, and even entire countries to corporate interests. Just imagine the bribes which have been paid to pull off such scams! And meanwhile the world's drinking water is running out. Although 75% of the earth's surface is covered with water, this film says only 3% of it is drinkable (and TAPPED says that only 1% of it is drinkable). And much of that is now heavily polluted. Large areas of the planet are going dry at an alarming rate, and 'water wars' are looming, while water riots have already begun in earnest. We are in a crisis of survival, but none of the governments in the world are taking robust action, whereas the international agencies are often the entities which are the most dangerous and corrupt, as they are entirely unaccountable to anyone, so they can take as many bribes as they like and no one will do anything about it, whereas at least some of the world's governments have to answer to their voters (assuming the voters are not kept in ignorance, which films like this are trying to prevent). This film begins with a harrowing description of what it is like to die of thirst, something we may before long all be able to experience for ourselves. This film is written, narrated and directed by an enthusiastic idealist named Sam Bozzo, who has done a very good job on a small budget. (TAPPED had a much bigger budget and higher production values.) It is based on a book by two other idealistic activists, Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke, who both also appear in the film. These people are all to be enthusiastically congratulated for their tireless work in attempting to alert the public to the dangers of human extinction due to the failure of our worldwide fresh water supplies. As Ford Madox Ford said in the February, 1924, issue of The Transatlantic Review, of which he was editor: 'That one should stand by and observe without a note of warning the sure shadow of doom engulfing a civilisation would be to display an equanimity passing the power of most men.'

Eye opening look into the global water crisis and it's causes.Learn important facts about the World Bank and U.N.Learn why bottled water and agriculture is bad for our Earth's ecology. Learn about the theft of water by profiteering corporations aided by corrupt governments.It gives hope at the end for solving one of the biggest problems we will face in the very near future.How ironic that we can do something so simple as digging holes in the ground to replenish our aquifers. Everyone should see this movie!

I had the privilege of seeing this film and I was blown away. The subject matter is of grave importance--water is life, without it life can't exist. This film maker knows how to tell a story and make what could be a dry story (no pun intended) into a compelling and motivating one. Malcolm McDowell is also to be commended. His voice lends credence to any subject but water or the lack thereof is a scary one and will have to be confronted sooner or later. I hope later, but after you see this film, you're not so convinced that the future isn't here already. Highly recommended and even more, I think it should be shown in every school in America, if not the world. Bravo Mr. Bozzo.