River's End: California's Latest Water War (2021) User Reviews

Know Where Your Water Comes From

[charliejackmorrison · 10/10 · 25 February 2021]

I watched River's End at its virtual premier at Wild & Scenic Film Festival, where it took home both the Jury Prize and the People's Choice Award. It's beautiful, compelling, and cracks open the story we've been hearing about for over a decade now. First off, the shots of the Delta are enough to keep you in awe and captivated by the beauty of central California for the entirety of the runtime, but aside from the visuals, this doc has been a conversation starter for me many, many times. It takes an issue so vast and so formidable, yet it elucidates it in a clear and insightful call to action: know where your water comes from. What makes River's End work so well is that it includes the full spectrum of perspectives that relate to the story: the politicians, the farmers, the scientists, the private interests; the list goes on and on and they all grip you tightly to the issue at hand. I feel confident now that I do know where my water comes from, and --arguably more importantly-- I know what and who we are up against in this fight. I truly can't recommend this enough.

Do you know where your water comes from?

An Intriguing Educational Experience

[maretztess · 10/10 · 25 February 2021]

Wow. Amazing visuals and enlightening interviews that provide intriguing insight into the water crisis in California. This documentary made me feel more connected to and invested in this environmental issue, as it was grounded in the reality and severity of the lives that this issue is directly affecting. I can only imagine how tedious it must be to create a documentary that informs the public on complex environmental crises such as the "Water War" depicted in River's End. However, River's End takes this topic and makes it human, and for that, it is vastly more meaningful and easier to understand its importance.:)

Wonderful Documentary

[apherzig · 10/10 · 5 November 2021]

Fascinating insight into the corruption and secrecy which has become far too common in the water industry. Eye-opening, wonderfully edited and wonderfully shot.

All Californians should watch

[nsberk-34395 · 10/10 · 2 November 2021]

Super interesting doc about how water actually works in CA. This fast-paced and beautifully shot doc breaks down the players, politics and reality behind CA water issues, revealing powerful interests and lobbies that siphon off water and use smoke screens to confuse the public.

I'm a lifelong Californian and never got a good education about our water issues, which always seemed big, confusing, and frankly, boring. This doc brings it all alive with real life stories - the family farmer, the fisherman, etc. - and water experts to frame what's really going on. If you live here, or any state in the West with water wars, spending 90 minutes on this film is truly eye-opening and well worth your time.

Misses a major point

[christinenewsom · 5/10 · 14 February 2021]

Interesting doc but in the end felt more like an attack on Westlands rather than fully address ALL of the issues with water in California. Was great to see this topic discussed but they completely overlooked how livestock uses far more water than almonds. If we all went plant based then even almonds would not be a problem. They showed a few glimpses here and there of livestock, even some of the Westland livestock farms but completely ignored that livestock wastes the most water and is something we do not need to survive. We cut out the beef and we've basically solved many of the water problems. Not sure why this topic is so often ignored other than the fact that the people making docs such as this would have to admit they are part of the problem and thus change their own habits and even advocate plant based life styles which they don't seem keen on doing so do they really care?

Watch this

[k-79406 · 10/10 · 23 May 2022]

This is what people should watching. It's absolutely terrifying to think how much destruction has been done during our lifetime. Unless people open their eyes and minds and start thinking about our world, there won't be much to save in a few livetimes.