In his latest documentary, "The Same River Twice," director/writer/producer Robb Moss captures the leap from recklessness to responsibility, from innocence to maturity and most lamentably, from youth to middle age.
Moss' subjects are a group of friends who spent the summer of 1978 rafting down the Colorado River. Usually naked, they spent their time camping along the riverbanks, arguing over where to go and when and navigating through the rough, whitewater waves of the river wearing nothing except life jackets.
They embraced the counterculture ideals of the '70s, doing what they pleased and tearing away from the establishment.
Jim, Danny, Jeff, Cathy and Barry are the main subjects, each looking free and completely liberated by nature. The fleeting scenery in the background of the shots looks untouched and beautiful and is the perfect backdrop for five hippies to bond together over campfires and baths in the river. It seems as if none of them really want to leave that place, not only the place on the map, but also the place in their lives.
Moss recorded much of the antics and conversations of the group back then. While all of his friends were climbing rocks around the Grand Canyon or celebrating a birthday, he was behind a camera, documenting everything. Pieces of the older movie are interspersed throughout this one.
Moss conducts unconventional interviews. He deviates from the standard question-and-answer format of many interviews and simply plays the footage for the person and lets them reflect. This definitely gives a much more sincere account of the feelings and memories affected by the scenes.
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Danny, for example, sees herself on the film and says she looks immature and goes on to say she kept that callow mindset for years after, which is why she waited until age 41 to have her first child.
Not surprisingly, after the almost 30 years between movies, social control has taken over with families, careers and mortgages. This revelation is just as sad on film as it is in real life. Not to imply these people are miserable in their current state of affairs, but when each one sees the original footage from the trip, there is something not only nostalgic, but also envious in their eyes and expressions as if they are jealous of the person they once were.
The movie is lacking in entertainment value, but it seems to have no other point. There is no rising action, almost no action at all, no climax or clear conclusion. A moral must have been lurking around the slow-paced story, but what was it? That once middle age sets in you have no choice but to yield to society's expectations? Possibly. Carefree youth is a transient time that you should cherish as long as you can? Maybe.
Most probable, though, is that passion should be the driving force behind everything in life, no matter what it is.
"The Same River Twice" has won numerous awards in film festivals around the country during 2003, yet it is hard to believe this was the best documentary the industry had to offer last year. Although the movie does have its moments of sincere and intriguing filmmaking, the lack of energy makes it, for the most part, hard to appreciate.
