The Unforeseen is a 2008 documentary directed by Laura Dunn. It deals with the attempted development of the Barton Springs area of Austin, TX. So it hits pretty close to home. It reminded me a lot of an attempted development project in Nashville, where a company tried to build up a previously undeveloped area of land that was only a few miles from downtown Nashville. Like what happened in Barton Springs, a groundswell of public support arose and the development stalled. So the beginning of this documentary kept bringing that to mind for me, and it made the issue easier to understand.
As far as the actual documentary goes, I was a little disappointed. Unlike any of the other films we have watched for class, there was no narration in this film. Instead, it moves from clip to clip, including interviews and historical filmed portions to make its point. As such, it doesn't feel particularly articulate. It lacks any sense of cohesion, and seems to jump randomly from issue to issue with the loose theme of urban development and property rights. This is a shame, because there are a lot of important points that can be made about urban development in the U.S. But The Unforeseen never really takes the time to make them. The cinematography is wonderful, with lots of sweeping overhead shots of Austin and developments in progress around the city, and these frames make as strong a point as anything anyone in the film says. Unfortunately, that alone isn't enough, and the movie just feels lacking. I believe the film would have benefited from a narrator to tie the themes together into more of a narrative, instead of the mix of interviews and shots of Austin that it ended up being. The Unforeseen ultimately gives the viewer a great taste of what the overall feeling is in Austin towards development, but that's all it is: a taste. For examining the issues behind development and getting a fair look at both sides' views, one is probably better off looking elsewhere.
Come to think of it, I don't think Harlan County, USA had narration either, but it worked better. I think that's because it closely followed a story in linear fashion, so it was always easy to follow. After The Unforeseen finishes talking about the Barton Springs development project, it seems to lose focus and just kind of sputter.
ReplyDeleteOne of the interesting things that came up in discussion was that Robert Redford isn't described as an "actor" but as an "environmentalist." In retrospect, this is hilarious. I suppose depicting him as an environmentalist helps the film's argument more than depicting him as an actor, but he's not a career environmentalist by any means. I don't know, I just think it's funny, and it kind of shows that, really, anyone can be considered an environmentalist as long as he or she claims to be. But I guess there's a reason the developers interviewed for the film didn't claim to be "environmentalists" for the same situated ethos that Redford got.