Trouble the Water (2008): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2008, Trouble the Water is a documentary film directed by Tia Lessin, running about 93 minutes. “It's not about a hurricane. It's about America.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. "Trouble the Water" takes you inside Hurricane Katrina in a way never before seen on screen. The film opens the day before the storm makes landfall--just blocks away from the French Quarter but far from the New Orleans that most tourists knew. Kimberly Rivers Roberts, an aspiring rap artist, is turning her new video camera on herself and her Ninth Ward neighbors trapped in the city. Weaving an insider's view of Katrina with a mix of verité and in-your-face filmmaking, it is a redemptive tale of self-described street hustlers who become heroes--two unforgettable people who survive the storm and then seize a chance for a new beginning.

Who’s in it. Trouble the Water stars Kimberly Rivers Rogers as Herself, aka Black Kold Medina, Scott Rogers as Self, George W. Bush as Self (archive footage) and Michael Brown as Self (archive footage).

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.0/10, Trouble the Water has been warmly received by audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Kino Film Collection and rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Trouble the Water page.

If you liked it. Fans of Trouble the Water tend to enjoy One Direction: This Is Us, Burn the Stage: The Movie, BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - Japan Edition and Senna.