Documentary  •  2025  •  107 min  •  All Ages

The American Southwest (2025)

The American Southwest poster

The American Southwest (2025)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Progressive
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
Family Values: Mixed

Viewer Rating
9.1

Overview

Nature documentary directed by Ben Masters and narrated by Quannah Chasinghorse. It traces an adventurous journey down the Colorado River through the American Southwest, highlighting landscapes, wildlife such as elk and condors, and the river's ecological role.


Starring Cast

N/A


Where to watch

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Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Progressive

Primary

Political: Leans Left
Confidence: High

The documentary examines the fragility of the Colorado River ecosystem, highlighting human-induced threats like dams and overuse while championing conservation and Indigenous perspectives on land stewardship. This focus on environmental protection and sustainable practices determines its left-leaning orientation.

Diversity: High
Confidence: High

The documentary centers Indigenous narration by Quannah Chasinghorse and collaborations with Native producers to highlight tribal stewardship of the Colorado River basin. It critiques colonial exploitation through dams, diversions, and exclusionary water agreements that depleted ecosystems and ignored tribal rights, advocating for equitable restoration and integration of Indigenous knowledge with modern management.

Secondary

Family Values: Mixed
Confidence: Medium

The documentary minimally engages with human family structures, instead highlighting nurturing behaviors in animal families like beavers and condors while portraying Indigenous communities through their collective stewardship traditions. This peripheral treatment results in a neutral depiction of family-life norms.

LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: High

The documentary features no LGBTQ+ characters or themes, focusing instead on environmental issues in the American Southwest through wildlife and water narratives.

Trans: N/A
Confidence: High

No transgender characters or themes appear in the documentary. The narrative focuses on environmental issues in the American Southwest, such as water conservation and wildlife preservation, without addressing gender identity.

Female Combat: N/R

The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

No gender swaps occur, as the documentary features original footage of the Colorado River, wildlife, and interviews with contemporary experts, without adaptations, historical reenactments, or portrayals of canonical figures.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: Medium

This original nature documentary focuses on the Colorado River's wildlife and environment without adapting source material or portraying historical figures through actors, resulting in no race swaps.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

9.1

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
8.3
The Movie Database logo
9.0

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
10.0
Metacritic logo
N/A

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