What if a corporation were to take control of your local freshwater supply and then sell the water back to you at a price of its choosing? If you think this could never happen, think again. Flow: For Love of Water is a documentary that addresses this issue and other water-related concerns.

Released in 2008, Flow dispels the myth that bottled water is better than tap water, explains how antibiotics end up in our streams, and examines water’s connection to other environmental challenges. While the movie is both informational and entertaining, the driving force of Flow is raising awareness for the global water crisis and the potential dangers of water privatization.

Privatization of water refers to the ownership and operation of fresh water supplies by private companies. This documentary points out three major water companies who are moving into poverty-stricken parts of the world, especially in polluted or water-scarce regions like Bolivia and Lesotho, and controlling the flow of fresh water.

However, the issue of water privatization is not exclusive to the third world. One of the most compelling parts of the movie examines how the water bottling company Nestle has impacted a small Michigan community. Nestle, of course, makes tons of money by pumping and selling this water to people all over the world, while local farmers’ creeks go dry.

What does Nestle pay for the water? According to the movie, zilch. Nestle’s Web site tells a different story. Whichever version of the truth you subscribe to, what is important to understand is that it’s happening, and at least one small American community is hurting because of it.

While the overall tone of Flow is both disheartening and ominous, the movie does provide a few glimmers of hope. One village in India has become completely self-sufficient, providing water to its people by re-creating an ancient irrigation system. In another part of India, one man has designed a system that uses UV light to clean water. The system now provides safe drinking water to more than 300,000 people at a truly affordable price.

What might you take away from Flow? At the end of the movie, I was reminded of the movie’s beginning and the epigraph by poet W.H. Auden: “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” There’s a reason water is so commonly called our most precious natural resource. It’s needed for survival, pure and simple. The prospect of any corporation controlling this resource and selling it like any other commodity is a frightening one to say the least.