I'm certainly no Michael Moore fan, and had I known he was involved in this film, I probably would have passed on it. But I'm very glad I saw it, as it was powerful, shocking and heartbreaking. Of course I knew what happened in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, but the self-shot footage as well as some of the personal interviews were new ground for me and in most cases, quite heartbreaking.
Maybe I liked this film so much because I focused on what I saw, and divorced this from the politics and racism that some people want to see in this movie. The government's response (including African-American mayor Ray Nagin, who didn't plan for having buses to evacuate people who didn't have cars) showed complete incompetence. If anyone thinks the lack of response was racially motivated, come see how great and fast the government response was in New Jersey and New York after Hurricane Sandy. Sadly, the government talks a big game, but can't step up when we need their help. I believe there were lessons learned by the government with Katrina and Sandy, and future responses will be the better for it. But who wants to be a part of terrible disasters like this again?
Maybe I liked this film so much because I focused on what I saw, and divorced this from the politics and racism that some people want to see in this movie. The government's response (including African-American mayor Ray Nagin, who didn't plan for having buses to evacuate people who didn't have cars) showed complete incompetence. If anyone thinks the lack of response was racially motivated, come see how great and fast the government response was in New Jersey and New York after Hurricane Sandy. Sadly, the government talks a big game, but can't step up when we need their help. I believe there were lessons learned by the government with Katrina and Sandy, and future responses will be the better for it. But who wants to be a part of terrible disasters like this again?