In Our Water
{{short description|1982 film}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name = In Our Water
| image = Inourwater.png
| caption = Film poster
| director = Meg Switzgable
| producer = Meg Switzgable
| writer =
| narrator =
| starring = {{plainlist|
- Frank Kaler
- Rita Kaler
}}
| music =
| cinematography = {{plainlist|
}}
| editing = Mona Davis
| studio = Foresight Films
| distributor = New Day Films
| released = {{film date|1982|1|6}}
| runtime = 60 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
}}
In Our Water is a 1982 American documentary film directed by Meg Switzgable, about a family in South Brunswick, New Jersey, who discover their drinking water is contaminated by a nearby landfill.
Overview
The film focuses on the Frank Kaler family of South Brunswick, New Jersey. Kaler is a housepainter and the family gets their water from their own well, as do their neighbors. The Kalers realize that their water is being contaminated from a nearby landfill and seek to get government to acknowledge and fix the problem. Their attempts to contact local and then the state Department of Environmental Protection are rebuffed. Mr. Kaler eventually goes to Washington DC to testify at Congressional hearings. The film follows the five-year radicalization of Kaler as he realizes what is happening to groundwater and why.
Reception
In a positive review for The Nation, Greg Mitchell wrote "In Our Water is instructive, and it is depressing, but it is also inspiring".{{Cite journal| issn = 0027-8378| volume = 234| issue = 4| pages = 124–125| last = Mitchell| first = Greg| title = Films| journal = Nation| date = 1982-01-30| url = }} Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote: "Miss Switzgable's film, in addition to providing a swift and distressing lesson about environmental pollution, ably chronicles the ways in which Mr. Kaler's crusade have strengthened his resolve."{{Cite news| issn = 0362-4331| last = Maslin| first = Janet| title = FILM: WATER POLLUTION AND ROGER BALDWIN PROFILE| work = The New York Times| access-date = 2021-04-19| date = 1982-01-06| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/06/movies/film-water-pollution-and-roger-baldwin-profile.html}}
Accolades
It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.{{cite web |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/300473/In-Our-Water/details |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014155104/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/300473/In-Our-Water/details |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 14, 2012 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=The New York Times |title=NY Times: In Our Water |access-date=November 16, 2008}} After airing on PBS' Frontline, it was nominated for an Emmy Award.{{Cite journal| pages = 18| last1 = Stewart| first1 = William| last2 = Laurie| first2 = Jim| title = FOR SEGMENTS QJJTSTl\NDING COVERAGE OF A SJ;NGLE BREAKING NEWS STORY}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.inourwatermovie.org Movie website]
- [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/in-our-water/ In Our Water] at Frontline
- {{IMDb title|id=0084127|title=In Our Water}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:In Our Water}}
Category:1982 documentary films
Category:American documentary films
Category:Documentary films about water and the environment
Category:Films shot in New Jersey
Category:Water pollution in the United States
Category:South Brunswick, New Jersey