With the fires raging out of control around LA, and all the rumors and news about lack of water for the fire department to put them out, someone suggested that I check this new documentary out for a partial explanation of California's water situation. I'm sure if you've been following the news, you've heard that fire hydrants were running dry and the LA Fire Department was under funded and under staffed.
This film doesn't really dwell on the city politics or a detailed look at the failures specific to the LA fires. It's a high level look at the history of water and water business in California going back many decades and spanning almost every part of the state. Suffice it to say that it's way more complicated and political than you probably thought, and it involves state government, backroom deals, downright water theft and the effects on the people in small, marginalized and out of the way communities like Porterville and Lost Hills.
The movie is relatively short at about an hour and fifteen minutes, but it packs in a lot of history and knowledge. The production quality is professional and the narrative flows smoothly from topic to seemingly unrelated topic, weaving together a story that will captivate most audiences not already familiar with the issue.
I liked the score and the music, while not overpowering, added suspense and mood to the travels of a small crew of documentarians who started in one part of the state and worked their way inland and north to explore the water system and its stakeholders. Camera work was what you would expect from an infodoc in 2025 and there are numerous drone shots that really put a visual on just how big some of these farms that control so much of the water are.
I guess most importantly it was entertaining and ended with a bit of a twist, really expanding on why the word "wars" is in the title. Not only are California businesses, citizens, small farmers and the government in a war over water, but the amounts of money are so great that it bleeds into literal geopolitics, sanctions, lobbying at the federal level and potential military wars.
If I had to come up with a complaint, I wish it was a little longer so they could talk to more people and that the narrator's voice is a little soft at times and he has a bit of a Russian accent (he explains that he moved to California from Russia as a young child during the Cold War).
Recommended.
