River of Grass

Director Sasha Wortzel invites viewers on a journey through the picturesque Everglades wetlands in Florida. It quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary expedition, and that her film will transcend the boundaries of conventional documentary cinema. River of Grass is a brilliant essay that channels the style of Werner Herzog and Gianfranco Rosi, where present blends with past, reality intertwines with dreams, and awe for nature stands in contrast to the anger over humanity’s destructive actions. Deeply concerned for the wetlands and the planet, Wortzel avoids simplistic pessimism. Instead, her film pays tribute to journalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, whose pioneering book published nearly eighty years ago cast new light on the significance of the Everglades for American nature. Scenes featuring contemporary successors of Douglas appear in River of Grass as tangible proof that those early efforts were not in vain, particularly highlighting Miccosukee activist Betty Osceola, who at one point delivers a poignant statement that offers both solace and a warning: In the end, nature always wins.