Watermark

I'm not exaggerating when I say that Watermark has some of the most staggering imagery I've seen in film all year. A film about a topic as vast as water is bound to have it's reach exceed it's grasp. The attempt at unifying these gorgeous visual vignettes into an all-consuming theme is not so much a failure as it is incredibly vague. This movie is less a work of Terrence Malick (sans the poetic narration and disjointed narrative) than it is one of those 'OFF THE AIR' segments that plays on Adult Swim at four in the morning but stretched out to a feature-length runtime, which I see no real problem in. There are some slight gripes to be had. Each 'storyline' is so disparate from the next that a jarring effect is created. Maybe this is to make commentary on how universal and diverse the application of water around the world is, but, if so, the immense imagery we have on display here is wasted on such a tame thesis. I would have preferred the film simply overwhelmed me with sheer color and visual scope (which it has in abundance, believe me) than attempt to label some sort of 'meaning' to it. The human aspect of Watermark is severely lacking, is what I mean to say. In spite of most of the astounding shots of dams and farms having elements of humanity, when an interview is conducted or the focus of the film steers clear of it's cinematography, my interest seems to drift. But when it's all said and done, once Watermark hits a stride of optic grandeur, it certainly leaves it's MARK. LEEL LEEL LEEL. Seriously, though, check this out. If anything, convert some still shots from the movie to a slideshow background on your iMac. You won't be disappointed.