CheerupSilver Very Cool!!!

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

thomasoneal Promoted and supported by Patagonia, DamNation takes an in depth look at an environmental issue which few Americans are aware of. This environmental documentary explores the importance of dams with reference to their history in America, influence on culture, impact on the environment, importance to agriculture, and energy efficiency. The main environmental issue concerning dams which is discussed throughout the film is the impact of dams on salmon spawning, America's response to salmon spawning with fish hatcheries, and the conservational inefficiency of (and harm caused by) fish hatcheries. The film also looks at the history of government funded dam construction and cultural backlash and call for dam removal. Not only have dams destroyed salmon spawning routs, but also flooded areas of incredible beauty and of immense cultural and historical importance to Native Americans. DamNation bring to light the hypocrisy and corruption behind the construction and maintenance of many major dams on rivers such as the Snake and Colorado. Released in 2014, this powerful and visually stunning documentary calls for major revisions and reevaluations of the value of all dams in the US. DamNation does a great job presenting the several different, complex issues surrounding dams in America, however it is biased. The film takes the effort to interview dam workers and hydro power supporters; however, the film mostly focuses on the negative effects of dams and why removal necessary. DamNation is considered both a documentary and adventure film. Documentaries often struggle to maintain the interest of the audience but DamNation is not just able to entertain the audience with action and visually beautiful shots, but also inspire them stand on environmental issues and to enjoy the outdoors. I would recommend this film to all young adults and anyone interested in environmental issues.

MartinHafer This is a film that will delight folks who think that technology is ruining the world. Its basic premise seems to be that ALL dams are bad. And much of the time this documentary talks about how awful dams are. The film talks about how they kill people when they burst but most importantly they impede salmon from breeding. While there have been a few dam breaks (mostly a long time ago and talking about the Johnstown Flood of 1889 seemed WEIRD and disingenuous since it IS the 21st century) and it's undoubtedly true native salmon populations have been decimated, the film rarely explores the POSITIVES about dams or discusses whether SOME mitigating projects actually work (such as salmon hatcheries in Alaska). While a few folks are shown with contrasting views, mostly they seem like idiots and are overruled by the all-knowing narrator in the movie. The film also doesn't interview the right people--people with informed and scientific facts instead of emotions. I would have loved to have heard from biologists, geologists and the like--but mostly you have Native Americans, park rangers and activists--all people you might want to include ALONG WITH EXPERTS-- not in place of them.The bottom line is that "DamNation" is clearly a film with a preconceived notion and it does all it can to support it and ignore things to the contrary (such as cheap and clean energy, jobs, increased farm production, etc.). It's a shame in a way, as technically this is a nice looking documentary. The graphics are great and the look of the film is lovely--hence why I give the film a 3 overall. For content, I would only give it a 1.All of this is very sad, as I am a guy who probably would be towards the middle of this debate. I am an avid fisherman and feel we need to think and re-think many of the dam projects and other projects that negatively impact the environment. But, I think everything should be case by case. Dams are neither always bad or always good- -and anyone wanting to really learn more about this debate would be better advised to read some books instead.

Yoyo Deep I have heard that dams are not good for environment, and I was expecting to know why human would be better without dams. However the film was way too shallow, tunnel-visioned and very subjective. Science is not a belief. We want to see evidences and know analysis, not just emotional feelings or someone's own reminiscence. There are so much more to talk about of benefits of removing dams on environment, economics and, especially, on human development.The film, focusing narrowly on something that will only affect a very small population and very few aspects of people's life, failed to delivery any powerful or persuasive reasons to audience as to why dams should be removed.

JustCuriosity Damnation was very well-received in its world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. The film is a thoughtful, well-supported argument to significantly reduce the thousands of damns in the U.S. This issue has been almost invisible as part of the wider environmental debate and certainly deserves more discussion. I was surprised that this movement has begun to have some success despite being quite low-profile in much of the media. Some parts of the film seemed a little overly idealistic in terms of the argument that preservation of salmon runs and fish species could justify the elimination valuable hydroelectric resources. The overall argument about preserving natural beauty also seemed a little unrealistic in terms of adaptation to modernity. Still the filmmakers made a solid case that some damns had outlived their usefulness. The historical part of the film was very interesting since it is an economic transformation that is rarely discussed. The interviews and the photography were really well-done and they managed to throw in some interesting characters and some humor. The film had far more depth than the other film about river preservation, Yakona, which also ran at SXSW. While similar politically, the two films were dramatically different in terms of style. Yakona was a wordless meditation without any real substance. . Damnation was well-filmed very informative and detailed and, in the end, makes a rational case rather than emotional one for its point-of-view. I hope the film gets some distribution, because it is an issue that deserves more serious political discussion.