One of the last untouched wildernesses, South America’s Patagonia region now faces the construction of five enormous dams, which is projected to flood 14,500 acres and disrupt the traditional life of the area’s fabled gaucho community. Brian Lilla’s earnest advocacy documentary somehow reduces this complex, emotionally charged issue to a series of press releases, as a parade of spokespeople from activist nonprofits and the multinational corporation in charge of the project spout little more than sound bites. The locals are given relatively scant screen time—just enough to act as props for both sides of the debate. Recent newspaper coverage will provide more context, and will take up 80 fewer minutes of your time.
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