Twenty stories from ten countries, and nary a word (let alone a talking head) comes up. The subject is water as a “terraforming element,” and award-winning documentarian Jennifer Baichwal (Manufactured Landscapes) and acclaimed photographer Edward Burtynsky lead us through a visually sumptuous historical essay on humankind’s thirst for and dependence on H₂O. Not your typical mashup of “green propaganda” and soppy coffee table book, the film does what any great movie should do: tell its story with pictures. (Cinematographer Nick de Pencier’s striking 5K ultra high-definition imagery is frequently as jaw-dropping as the nature it captures.) Take it from someone who watched it on a TV: the IMAX-worthy aerial photography — from afar, the Colorado River resembles a giant chest x-ray — demands a visit to the theatre. (2013) — Scott Marks
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