River

Play trailer

2:28

River

2023

1h 15m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

24 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

An exploration of the timeless relationship between human civilization and Earth's rivers. Spanning six continents, this visual and musical tour-de-force is by turns celebratory, cautionary, and ultimately hopeful that we are beginning to understand rivers in all their complexity and fragility. Narrated by Oscar Nominee Willem Dafoe. With music by the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Radiohead.

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Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

04/20/2023

3.5/5

River flows in the wake of other documentaries... intended to quietly terrify us.

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Michael Hogan

Daily Telegraph (UK)

07/25/2022

1/5

“Rivers run into the future and remember the past.” Oh hush, you frightful bore.

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Ben Dowell

The Times (UK)

07/25/2022

You would be forgiven for feeling that this is a little pretentious at times, but there is also something hugely seductive about a transportive slow TV viewing experience...

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Michael Clark

Epoch Times

08/12/2023

2.5/5

An actor with an instantly recognizable voice, Dafoe, recalling the late painter Bob Ross or a generic male NPR contributor, is not only saddled with spouting these silly bits of jumbled sophomoric drivel, he does so in a passionless monotone.

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Kelly Vance

East Bay Express

04/21/2023

The dazzling cinematography -- by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Ben Knight, Peter McBride and Renan Ozturk -- visits seemingly every corner of the world in seductive rhythmic progression.

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Todd Jorgenson

Cinemalogue

04/21/2023

Simple yet ambitious, this visually stirring documentary flows slowly but is worth soaking in.

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James F

04/23/2023

Some striking photography and a lot of ponderous scenes. An art film more than a documentary.

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D. H

@RT27750999 06/04/2023

People absolutely have to watch this movie. Very enlightening. Kudos to Twitter for putting it on my radar.

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Alysha S

@RT38640074 04/23/2023

You learn so much about rivers, including fascinating information. Also, some of the shots are stunning. A couple of shots of fish jumping out of rivers specifically come to mind. It's also tremendously effective at pointing out relationships between humans, civilizations, and rivers.

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Jennifer Peedom

Director

Joseph Nizeti

Director

Willem Dafoe

Narrator

Jennifer Peedom

Writer

Joseph Nizeti

Writer

Robert Macfarlane

Writer

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River: Trailer 1

2:28

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Synopsis

An exploration of the timeless relationship between human civilization and Earth's rivers. Spanning six continents, this visual and musical tour-de-force is by turns celebratory, cautionary, and ultimately hopeful that we are beginning to understand rivers in all their complexity and fragility. Narrated by Oscar Nominee Willem Dafoe. With music by the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Radiohead.

Director: Jennifer Peedom, Joseph Nizeti
Producer: Jo-Anne McGowan, Jennifer Peedom, John Smithson
Screenwriter: Jennifer Peedom, Joseph Nizeti, Robert Macfarlane
Distributor: Greenwich Entertainment
Production Co: Arrow Media, Arrow Pictures, Stranger Than Fiction Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Australian English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 21, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 30, 2023
Runtime: 1h 15m