User Reviews

We take for granted that we can walk into the kitchen, turn on the faucet, and have clean drinking water readily available. There have been other documentaries made about where our water comes from, but this focuses specifically on California's 338 mile aqueduct & this filmmaker's and her crew's months-long hike to traverse the whole thing, and the endeavor to educate the viewer. I'll be honest - I never even knew such a thing existed, so this was very interesting to me. It's important information, delivered well, not preachy but informative. I love documentaries as a genre and appreciate when I'm able to learn something new from an impassioned teacher.

In the terrific serving of brain food that is "The Longest Straw," Samantha Bode backpacks the length of the Los Angeles Aqueduct; a 338-mile pipe that for a century has pulled water from the delicate ecosystems of inland California to satiate the massive consumption needs of America's second-largest city.

Melding our expanding need for environmental education with the adventurous whimsy of an exploratory hike, we soon come to understand the sheer volume of natural resource the aqueduct provides, and the reciprocal deprivation it exacts on the land the water is extracted from. What once was a legitimate farming community and a fragile ecosystem of lakes was marginalized in favor of a perceived greater good, and "The Longest Straw" examines that repercussive history with a fingerprinting of the terrain through which the pipe travels.

While impassioned, this isn't fire-and-brimstone activism delivered scathingly from the pulpit, but rather a crystallized presentation of cost versus reward. "The Longest Straw" heightens our neglected appreciation for one our most base needs -- the glorious benefit of imminently available water -- by exploring both the elemental wonder it provides and the corresponding tolls it can exact. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Really first we get this: "California is currently suffering the worst drought the state has seen since record-keeping began over a century ago."

Yes in the past 100 years. But 1) peer reviewed tree ring studies in California show much worse, more widespread and very long lasting droughts have been very common over the past 20,000 years. 2) The current drought is brought about by over-development. In fac the 'Record setting damage" is property damage from the hundred of billions of dollars in property that have been built in places in California that heretofore had no property.

There's a spirit in people who really care that inspires us to do better, whether it's water conservation or just taking the time to learn where our water comes from. The charm of "The Longest Straw" is that it's not a didactic rendition of how we procure and use our most precious resource, but rather a documentary populated with people who come across as authentic, concerned, level headed and informative. Sam Bode is particularly endearing as we trek with her up the length of the aqueduct and visit places in California that we would otherwise never have been aware of. At times, it is even a bit touching to see her devotion to the journey.

Take the time to watch this documentary. It is well worth it.

Great documentary, like how you blended all the topics . I recommend

I thought this would be more in the theme of the film Wild! but was pleasantly surprised to discover this film to be not only about the personal journey of Samantha Bode but a message and awakening about environmental issues - water and drought, in particular. She reminds us that we cannot underestimated the value of water in everyday life and survival. We followed her on this 70 day 335 mile trek and the physical and emotional ups and downs and revelations along the way.