Ann Richards, Gary Bradley, Judah Folkman

In the 1980s, an ambitious real estate developer came to Austin, Tex., with a dream--to transform miles of pristine wilderness into a sprawling self-sufficient city. When the development threatened a ...( read more  read more... )local treasure, a fragile limestone aquifer and a naturally spring-fed swimming hole, the community decided to fight back. Laura Dunn's lyrical and beautifully crafted documentary uses this landmark struggle--a microcosm of what's happening in communities across the country today--to consider the cost of the American dream.

Flixster Users

66% liked it

479 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

32 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Laura Dunn

Release Date: February 29, 2008

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DVD Release Date: September 30, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (43)


  • March 23, 2009
    This is a well-made documentary, it studies in the small scale a larger issue, commonly known as real estate development and global warming.

    But, honestly, no matter how great this documentary is...the world is falling apart and they make movies that investigate why the Austin ...( read more)residents can't swim in a river?
  • August 11, 2008
    Although directed by Laura Dunn, who utilizes landscape shots and historical footage paired with casual interviews in an everyday, passively poetic manner, one can't help but feel the presence of producer Terrence Malick. Also utilized are the dreamlike tones and lush, organic te...( read more)xtures even as it dishes out the facts and statistics, having far more in common with the likes of The Thin Red Line than the entertaining and rigid An Inconvenient Truth. However, this documentary does take its' musical cues from Sigur Ros which add to the dreamlike quality.

    Terrence Malick, a long time resident of Austin, originally conceived the idea for the film and Robert Redford spent his summers in Austin as a child. He learned to swim in the natural springs which feature so prominently in the film and became actively involved when he learned about the developments. The Unforeseen is inspiring in its examination of the power of the individual to fight for environmental preservation and urges viewers to choose between the importance of protecting the individual American's "right to pollute" and the need to secure a safe environment for our future and to do something about it.
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  • April 13, 2009
    I didn?t know anything about this documentary except the tagline when I watched it. It started and I vaguely noticed Terrence Malick?s name in the credits. Then it flowed into the sweeping images and I thought it was wonderful cinematography for a documentary. It is surely one of...( read more) those beautiful visual documentaries like Microcosmos or Winged Migration, but it isn?t about nature necessarily.

    However, despite a strong start, it settles in the middle and never reaches for anything grand. Maybe it?s just the subject stalled, but that brought the movie back to a smaller level or grand documentary meaning. It is good enough, but keeps you wanting something more action oriented, even in just there being some sort of action. Still, I?m a Malick and documentary whore.
  • July 25, 2007
    Need to watch it, the missing Malick :D

Critic Reviews


March 10, 2008
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

The Unforeseen is a poetic and high-minded meditation on American developers' manifest destiny and the cancer it introduces into the natural world. full review

March 7, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

As frustrating as it is welcome. full review

View more The Unforeseen reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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