Download Free Just Add Water

Just Add Water is a moving, quirky, subtly-nuanced fable about
suffering, love and redemption. Set in the belly of a culture that's
been spiritually and environmentally devastated, enough becomes more
than enough, and a small group of determined people decide to reclaim
their lives, their homes and their land. Part comedy, part tragedy,
part parable, this film is a mirror for our times. Dylan Walsh delivers
an understated, heartful performance. The landscape reflects the energy
of the people and their predicament. The musical score is excellent,
moving, surprising. And the message is one of hope. That we can turn
around the destruction that has taken hold of too much of our precious
planet. Beautifully acted. Artfully written and directed by Hart
Bochner..

I have always been fascinated by Trona since the first time I drove
through it some 15 years ago, reminds me of a full scale model railroad
town and it looks like perhaps no other place in California...Trona has
a bit of a reputation , it is the least expensive place to live in
California and , consequently, you will find a lot of dead enders in
this little town, people on fixed incomes , ice heads and everything in
between , there is not a lot in the way of law enforcement in the town
....Trona, as is pointed out in this movie, was not always like this ,
there are plenty of good , hard working people there who remember
better days...and no doubt dream of future better days...the town is
situated in the most striking high desert any desert lover would fall
in love with, it is on the way to Death Valley and was once a hangout
for Charles Manson, Manson's last redoubt was the Barker Ranch which
is, by way of the crow flying, no more then maybe 10 or 15
miles.....But back to the film at hand Ray Tuckby {Played by Dylan
Walsh} is one of these people who remember better days, his personal
life, mainly his marriage , has taken a hit and worse yet , the town
has been taken over by a skinhead meth syndicate who pretty much run
the town, extorting money from the residents and selling drugs and
worst of all, sucking the town's young people into there activities
...... A gentleman by the name of Merl {played by Danny DeVito} comes
to town to open a gas station. Merl is a very positive person who, at
first, is naive to the town's ways.....Merl meets Ray, Ray tells Merl
about the town, Merl tells Ray that it is never too late to dream and
envision a better life, they form a fast friendship....to cut to the
chase, this builds a fire under Ray to take the town back , and to be
with a woman named Nora {Played by the lovely Tracy Middendorf }whom he
has admired ever since high school, she is a huge upgrade from his
estranged wife, and that is putting it mildly..

The movie was beautifully shot and of the three movies I have seen that
deal with Trona {"Trona" , "Land Of Plenty" and this film} "Just add
water" is the most comprehensive look at Trona yet . The message of the
film is indeed very inspiring and does indeed show that one man with a
dream can indeed change himself and the people around him {there is
even some narration to that affect}

My only quibble I would have with the film is that they borrowed the
saga of Keeler California which was on the eastern side of the now dry
Owens Lake, This is a whole other story altogether, in short, the city
of Los Angeles diverted the Owens River nearly a hundred years ago for
there own water purposes, drying Owens Lake and creating an
environmental disaster that still has major ramifications......I will
forgive this fusion of stories...Trona is on the western side of
Searles Dry Lake...the key difference being that it is a ice age era
lake and has been dry for 10,000 years......and I certainly would have
no objections to it refilling .....regards and enjoy, Darryl....PS
"Land Of Plenty" is a fine film as well.....