★★★1/2

Thoughtful and informative, if not occasionally repetitive in message and theme, Drowned Land shines a light on a number of truths that are evident in our world today - a disregard of legacy, a dismantling of institutions, and a dismissal of Native American and Indigenous Peoples legacy and heritage. 

Director Colleen Thurston dives headlong into a widely underreported issue. In Oklahoma, since the 1930’s, numerous man-made lakes were built on Indigenous lands, displacing Tribal communities and farming communities  in the region. These lands were then used by developers to build the hydroelectric plants and dams needed for the lakes, ignoring any long-term consequences for those who once lived there. 

Skillfully, Thurston brings the past to the present, documenting a present-day conflict over the Kiamichi River as Texas developers, with seemingly no care or concern around the impacts the extraction of resources has on the local community, attempt to push through their plans.

Thurston’s grandfather was an engineer who helped design the very dams that helped cause the disruption of the Tribal communities she documents. It is a poignant angle to the story that she wrestles with as she interviews scientists, community activists, and experts to present the totality of the situation. Even if the film runs a little long at 86 minutes, you feel the outrage, the anger and the lingering pain that these efforts have caused. The impacts are substantial and Thurston’s deeply personal film goes far beyond telling a story of water rights. Drowned Land is an intriguing exploration of legacy and who gets to define it, but also cultural resilience and preservation of one’s own heritage.

Drowned Land was screened as part of the 51st Seattle International Film Festival.