At first I was interested in watching The Unforeseen because it was pertinent to the city of Austin. As I watched, I steadily didn't care to finish the film. The film is about the very fast development of Austin and the city’s struggle against land developers to preserve its natural source of water, Barton Springs. The theme of urban development and environmentalism go hand in hand in this film.
The director Laura Dunn attempts to capture an objective view to the situation by offering both sides. The central figure of the film is the successful real estate developer Gary Bradley. Even though he was one of the people to catalyze subdivisions (the bad guys in a way), Dunn shows Bradley’s side of the story in a sympathetic light and uses his story as the basis for the film.
On the other hand, Dunn has some shots to support her argument of pro-environmentalism. The montage of the historical footage of members of the community supporting the preservation of Barton Springs at a hearing was such a pathos infused scene. It had some uplifting music in the background and had various Austinites recounting their experiences at Barton Springs, including a child. Many of the people interviewed supporting Barton Springs or shown from past footage, spoke of the spring as it was sacred and magical, which was too exaggerated in my opinion. There were many beautiful sweeping shots of Barton Springs that added to that ethereal feeling enhanced by the people's account. It was clear that the spring was special to the people and Dunn wanted to convey that.
Dunn had a handful of credible interviewees such as Robert Redford and Ann Richards. They supported the preservation of Barton springs. Ann Richards’ interview was helpful to the audience to understand how the government was handling the problem while Redford’s interview was a bit more subjective. He was introduced as an environmentalist rather than an old actor. To me the most important interviews came from a child living in an unfinished subdivision and an old farmer. The little boy’s opinions were profound even though he is just a child. The farmer was wise with experience and spoke about the aquifer and how it was important to the crops.
Overall the film was confusing with its spiritual overtones and metaphors. Especially the doctor explaining the metaphor of the growth of cancer comparing it to the development of Austin. The documentary was a good attempt at the many issues it tried to tackle.
