Kimberly Rivers is amazing. She will tell you this herself, if given a chance. But you do not have to take her word for it: the film Trouble the Water is ample evidence.

Rivers stayed in New Orleans during hurricane Katrina, along with her dogs, some family, friends and a video camera. The footage that she took before and during the storm is chilling. She lived in the Ninth Ward — the Upper Ninth Ward, by the look of it. Her steady hand was able to convey the uncertainty of the day before and the chaos of the encroaching water.

I won’t give too much away here, but there is incredible footage of Kimberly’s brother wading through the flood waters, saving lives. There is footage of the family huddled in the attic, like so many families, as the water rises. Later in the film, FEMA plays its role, of course. When Ms. Rivers shows up to speak with a FEMA official, he asks, “Do you always have a camera crew with you?” She calmly replies, “Yeah, usually.” The expression on the FEMA man’s face is worth the price of admission.

The directors of this film, Carl Deal and Tia Lessin, recently presented the film at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). They said that they had initially gone to Louisiana to make a documentary about soldiers returning from Iraq who had lost their homes to Katrina. As they were working on that project, the National Guard clamped down, telling their loyal soldiers not to give their stories. With that documentary thwarted, Deal and Lessin came across Ms. Rivers, or judging by the footage in the film, Ms. Rivers insisted herself into their presence, letting them know that she had some film and a story that no one had seen.

Much like Spike Lee’s brilliant documentary When the Levees Broke, this film works because it focuses on the real life stories of people who have been neglected and disrespected on so many levels. The film focuses on Rivers, but the stories of those around her are also compelling. Rivers, her husband (future husband, during the film) Scott Roberts, her brother who spent Katrina in the Orleans Parish Penitentiary (OPP), their comrade in exile to Memphis who is a recovering drug addict: the people of this film are not saints. They are straight from the streets of New Orleans, and the film captures many of the difficulties that such a life entails.

We learn more and more about each of these folks as the story goes along. We see that Kimberly is a skilled rapper, that her husband was caught up in the ugliness of street life. Again, though, I won’t give away the details, and there are some powerful details, such as her brother’s story of life inside the OPP as the flood hit.

While the directors focus on these personal stories, they are also able to convey their political theme: the government has no concern for the lives of its poor citizens. One chilling moment in the film tells of people coming to the nearby naval base in New Orleans, seeking shelter from the ravages of the flood. They were turned away at the point of a gun — or the points of many guns. We can add this to the many government-led atrocities in the face of the disaster, right alongside the Jefferson Parish police turning people back at gunpoint as they were looking for safety on the other side of the Mississippi.

The message of the movie is undeniable. Rivers walks through her destroyed neighborhood and declares that the real war is right here, not over in Iraq. It is difficult to disagree with her.

There are a few times when the directors push their message a bit too heavy-handedly, with the typical footage of President Bush and of Michael Brown. At one point in the film they try to mock the emphasis on tourism in New Orleans, suggesting that such an emphasis comes at the expense of those who are struggling to survive. That seems to be a rather naïve argument, one that does not take into account the real economics of New Orleans. The directors are not New Orleanians and may not have a solid understanding of the city. Their larger points, however, about the US government and the neglect of its citizens, about the power of some individuals in the face of tragedy, are persuasively told. Ms. Rivers can speak for the city.

The film has not yet played in New Orleans, but the directors promise a big bash sometime in August. Look for it. Even if you think that you have heard every Katrina and flood story out there, this one is worth your attention. The latest news is that the film will receive distribution, so it may be in other cities soon. It has already won the Sundance award for best documentary. Perhaps an Oscar nomination is in its future.

Of course, this is Music Friday as well as a film review. No doubt, this week’s music is from Kimberly Rivers, aka Black Kold Madina. Check out her website, click some tunes. I recommend number four: “Amazing.”