Anne Hathaway stars in Rachel Getting Married (Sony Pictures)

Recently, Jonathan Demme has seemed more interested in documentary than narrative film. Plus his documentaries (Jimmy Carter Man from Plains; Neil Young: Heart of Gold and especially The Agronomist) have been far better crafted and more compelling than his narrative films (The Manchurian Candidate, The Truth About Charlie). But with his latest film Rachel Getting Married (opening October 10 at Landmark's La Jolla Village and Hillcrest Cinemas) Demme returns to fine narrative form and finds some of the energy that made his early work so good.

Kimberly and  Scott Roberts in Trouble the Water (Zeitgeist Films)

Trouble the Water (opening October 10 at Landmark's Ken Cinema) took home the well-deserved Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The film offers a very personal account of Hurricane Katrina by essentially focusing on Kimberly Rivers Roberts, an aspiring rap artist who with her husband Scott was trapped in the 9th Ward when the hurricane hit. Kimberly had a home video camera and began shooting footage as soon as she and her neighbors starting seeing hurricane warnings on the news. Their remarkable home video footage was then incorporated into the documentary Trouble the water. Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine producers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal were fortunate enough to hook up with Roberts and to further document her story in the weeks and months following the devastation of the hurricane. The result is an amazingly intimate, powerful, and ultimately hopeful film about survival and unexpected second chances.

Kimberly and Scott described themselves as street hustlers but when the hurricane hits, Scott proves to be something of a hero helping others in need. In the aftermath of the hurricane, the couple run into problems with FEMA and witness the devastation to their neighborhood and surrounding areas. One of Kimberly's relatives describes how the aftermath is something that she would have expected in a third world country but not in the U.S. She feels that an underlying racism prompted the lack of response from the government and she tearfully explains how she won't let her son join the army of a country that has so neglected African Americans in the aftermath of Katrina. There's also an effectively enraging moment when a perky young woman plays a tourism video showing all the splendor of New Orleans and then we see the still devastated areas of the region, places where no help or money is coming in. Scenes like these are what make Trouble the Water so effective.

Trouble the Water (unrated) maintains a devastatingly effective first person narrative as it chronicles Katrina and its aftermath. You feel a sense of outrage that more has not been done to help these people. But the amazing thing is that despite all the hardships, all the government indifference, all the losses, the Roberts remain stunningly positive and hopeful. Their strength of spirit buoys what could have been a much bleaker film.

Companion viewing: When the Levees Broke, Bowling for Columbine

Brad William Henke and Sam Rockwell in Choke based on Chuck Palahniuk's book. (Fox Searchlight)

Choke (opening September 26 at select theaters including Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas, AMC La Jolla, Edwards Mira Mesa, and Regal Parkway Plaza) is a new film based on a novel by Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk. So right off the bat, you know it's bound to be provocative. Throw in the fact that the main character played by Sam Rockwell is a sex addict and it only gets more interesting. I spoke with actor Clark Gregg about making his feature writing and directing debut with challenging material like Choke. You can listen to my KPBS Radio feature or read the review.

The documentary Flow: For Love of Water (Osilloscope)

In Flow: For Love of Water (opening September 19 at Landmark's Ken Cinema), filmmaker Irena Salina tackles what she calls the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - the world water crisis. And she's certainly not alone in identifying this as a major global concern. Like An Inconvenient Truth, her documentary Flow is designed to be a kind of wake up call for mainstream audiences who may be peripherally aware of the problem but not seeing it as a major concern. As long as clean water comes out when they turn on the tap, most people don't see a crisis.

NOTE: Following each of the prime evening screenings of Flow there will be a panel discussion about the film and water issues.

Baghdad Days screens as part of the Imperial Beach Film Festival

The Sixth Annual Imperial Beach Film Festival kicks off Friday September 19th and runs through September 21 (most events are at Dempsey Holder Center, 950 Ocean Lane Imperial Beach). Festival director Steve Futterman is excited about the range of films and activities at this year's event. Here are some highlights.

Director S. R. Bindler and star-producer Matthew McConaughey on the pool deck at the San Diego Hard Rock Hotel (Beth Accomando)

Matthew McConaughey is sitting on the pool deck at the Hard Rock Hotel looking much like the character he plays in his new movie Surfer, Dude (opening September 12 at Reading Gaslamp, AMC Fashion Valley, Regal Rancho Del Rey, AMC Palm Promenade, and Edwards Mira Mesa). Casually attired in a surf tee and shorts and eager to conduct the interview out in the sun, McConaughey cuts a relaxed figure. He and director S. R. (Robb) Bindler came out to San Diego because Surfer, Dude is a personal film that they were eager to promote. The film marks the first project completely produced under McConaughey's company Just Keep Livin' and his enthusiasm was clearly evident.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss (IFC First Take)

Listed among Alex Holdridge's credits on IMDb is co-writing and co-directing the 30th Annual Mrs. America Pageant. Maybe that's not something to brag about but working on a beauty pageant must be something of a surreal and odd experience. And maybe the conventionality of that institution inspired Holdridge to pursue more independent minded work with films like Wrong Numbers, Sexless and now In Search of a Midnight Kiss (opening September 12 for one week only at Landmark's Ken Cinema). In Search of a Midnight Kiss explores love and blind dates in the age of the Internet.

You can also listen to our discussion of the film on the KPBS Film Club of the Air.

Immigrants become citizens in Proud American (Lightsource)

Fourteen years ago, local filmmaker Fred Ashman began working on the concept for what would become Proud American (opening September 12 in select theaters including Regal Rancho Del Rey, AMC La Jolla, UltraStar Mission Valley, AMC Mission Valley, AMC Fashion Valley and Edwards Mira Mesa). Ashman, who founded Multi Image Productions here in San Diego more that thirty years ago, got serious about the project in 2002 and began to seek funding. The film, which will be shown in IMAX at some theaters, opens across the nation and Ashman hopes the film will help set the tone for people as they prepare to go to the polls and elect a new president.

Tyler Perry continues to buck the Hollywood system by making his own movies and eschewing the conventional means of promoting them. With the exception of his first thearical feature Diary of a Mad Black Woman, none of his subsequent films have been screened for the press here in San Diego or in many other cities yet they have all done amazlingly well at the box office. Rather than relying on the mainstream and mostly white media, Perry taps into the strong fan base he developed on the urban theater circuit to build a loyal audience that comes out in force on the all-important opening weekends of his films. I admire Perry's ability to make films his own way so I wanted to highlight his upcoming film, The Family That Preys (scheduled to open September 12). Perry's sixth film crosses color and class lines as it looks to Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard as the matriarchs of two very different families being torn apart by greed and scandal. The only thing I regret is that Perry's fabulous Aunt Madea (played by Perry in drag) won't be in this more serious drama. Aunt Madea is a formidable and hilarious creation, and she actually has her own set of movies if you want to check them out. Trailer courtesy of Lionsgate.

Melissa Leo gives a pitch perfect performance in Frozen River (Sony Pictures Classics)

It's rare to be able to write about two movies in one week that are directed by women but this week affords me the opportunity with Courtney Hunt's Frozen River and Céline Sciamma's Water Lilies both opening at Landmark, and both are feature film directing debuts. Frozen River is set near a little-known border crossing on the Mohawk reservation between New York State and Quebec. It's just before Christmas and Ray (Melissa Leo) is struggling with the sudden disappearance of her gambler husband and the family savings. Ray meets Lila (the implacable Misty Upham), a Mohawk woman, by chance and strikes up a prickly partnership with her. Lila lures Ray into the quick money of human smuggling. The film is at its best with the two women. Leo, who's done well in supporting parts (most notably 21 Grams and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada), shines in this starring role as a women whose desperation prompts her to take risks. Leo's Ray is tired and worn but still driven by a survivor's strength. The plot takes some contrived turns and none of the other characters are developed with the depth and honesty of the two main women but it's a promising debut for Hunt. Listen to our Film Club of the Air discussion about the film.

Companion viewing: 21 Grams, The Threee Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Powwow Highway