A stunning, unassuming documentary about one of the most urgent, and most invisible forms of extractivism.
— Ilka Kressner, Assoc. Prof. of Hispanic Studies, Chair of Languages, Literatures & Cultures, University at Albany-SUNY
In Mexico’s heartland, the community of La Cantera is mourning the deaths of three girls from leukemia, all in the span of a year. Elia, the local kindergarten teacher, and Nely, a mother who nearly lost her newborn, form MAYOYE, a group of women seeking an investigation. They’re met with resistance from government officials denying an underlying cause.
Dr. Adrián Ortega, a hydrogeologist from the National University of Mexico supports their cause. After rigorous testing, they find that the water contains radioactive material exceeding safety standards by 300%. Their journey leads to a greater revelation: industrial farms have drained the region’s aquifers, leaving behind a poisonous source of drinking water.
In the end, The Age of Water (directed by Isabel Alcántara Atalaya & Alfredo Alcántara in Spanish w/ English subtitles) is a poignant story of two women who pay a heavy price in their pursuit for a just cause. Along the way, two different versions of water develop: water breathing in life, and water exhaling out poison.
