In Our Water
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''In Our Water'' is a 1982 American
documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
directed by Meg Switzgable, about a family in
South Brunswick, New Jersey South Brunswick is a Township (New Jersey), township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is centrally located within the Raritan River, Raritan Valley region and is an outer-ring subur ...
, who discover their
drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...
is contaminated by a nearby
landfill A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...
.


Overview

The film focuses on the Frank Kaler family of South Brunswick, New Jersey. Kaler is a housepainter and the family gets their water from their own well, as do their neighbors. The Kalers realize that their water is being contaminated from a nearby landfill and seek to get government to acknowledge and fix the problem. Their attempts to contact local and then the state
Department of Environmental Protection This article lists subnational environmental agencies in the United States, by state. Agencies that are responsible for state-level regulating, monitoring, managing, and protecting environmental and public health concerns. The exact duties of ...
are rebuffed. Mr. Kaler eventually goes to Washington DC to testify at Congressional hearings. The film follows the five-year radicalization of Kaler as he realizes what is happening to groundwater and why.


Reception

In a positive review for ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
'', Greg Mitchell wrote "''In Our Water'' is instructive, and it is depressing, but it is also inspiring".
Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, who served as a film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1977 to 1999, serving as chief critic for the last six years, and then a literary critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000, M ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote: "Miss Switzgable's film, in addition to providing a swift and distressing lesson about environmental pollution, ably chronicles the ways in which Mr. Kaler's crusade have strengthened his resolve."


Accolades

It was nominated for an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
for Best Documentary Feature. After airing on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
' '' Frontline'', it was nominated for an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
.


References


External links


Movie website''In Our Water''
at '' Frontline'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:In Our Water 1982 films 1982 documentary films American documentary films Documentary films about water and the environment Films shot in New Jersey Water pollution in the United States South Brunswick, New Jersey 1980s English-language films 1980s American films English-language documentary films