The Same River Twice

The Same River Twice Review

A few days ago I watched the film "The Same River Twice." The film is a then-and-now story about some river guides on the Grand Canyon in the 1970s and their lives today. The 1970s portion is shown through some actual film footage taken on a communal trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1978. The now portion consists of interviews with some of the people who were on that earlier river trip. I think that the film accurately portrays the choices that some of us have faced, and for some of us, the film may be a little too real. Whether you or your friends were river guides, mountain travel trail hippies, backcountry ski bums, or just youthful wilderness adventurers in the 1970s, this film is about you and your friends - then and now.

The various people portrayed in the film have chosen different strategies to face maturity and middle age. Jim has stayed "on the river" as we used to say. The others have all found lives "off the river." Of the others, I would say that one woman Danny, has been the most successful in finding happiness and contentment in her life. To me, Danny's secret is to stay active and to understand and follow your own inner compass. I cannot over emphasize the point of staying active. Living an active life gives a spark to both Danny and Jim, a spark the others seem to lack. Jim, who stayed "on the river", faces the hardship and loneliness that comes with the vagabond life of a career seasonal river guide. Jim's spark suffers a bit from his appearance of being stuck in time. Danny has a good life and appears satisfied. Jim has a very good life too, but we see the price of his unconventional choices. The others appear less satisfied than either Danny or Jim.

It is a good film. The title comes from the saying attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus who said something similar to, "You cannot step in the same river twice, for the waters are continually flowing onward"; a statement that I've remembered many times in my life. You may recognize yourself in parts of the film and I hope that your life is closer to Danny's or Jim's depending on your own chosen path. You are either on the river or you are off the river.
An instant hit at the Sundance Film Festival and nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, THE SAME RIVER TWICE is a rich and warmly insightful mosaic of change, choices and communal living, highly acclaimed as "piercingly poignant" (The New York Times) and "a [four-star] masterpiece! Powerful, compelling and graceful!" (Chicago Reader). In 1978, award-winning filmmaker Robb Moss and a close-knit group of free-spirited friends and lovers took a month-long trip through the depths of the Grand Canyon; a breathtaking, white-water rafting adventure down the Colorado River. Cutting between footage of their youthful--often naked--live-in-the-moment existences and the complex realities of their adulthood today, the film travels the road from peyote to Prozac, creating a compelling portrait of cultural metamorphosis and the struggle to find one’s place in the world. From running rapids to running for mayor, THE SAME RIVER TWICE is an intimate depiction of those baby-boomers who took the Sixties seriously, and then grew up. DVD Features: Audio Commentary with Filmmaker Robb Moss; Filmmaker Interview; Filmmaker Q&A; Theatrical Trailer; Filmmaker and Crew Biographies; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection