The American Southwest review (2025)

The American Southwest is a very fun yet equally frustrating documentary.

Not as some indictment on the quality of the documentary, which is a largely lighthearted trek through nature and its varied inhabitants. The frustration comes from that dwindling sense of hope that even with The American Southwest laying out in such vivid and breathtaking fashion a compelling argument that the environment and its resources must be protected, the selfish interest of the financial mighty won’t allow those conservation/protection efforts.

For more optimistic viewers, American Southwest is a sensational effort from director/writer Ben Masters who captures such incredible visuals throughout the film it almost looks too good to be true. That’s one of the big ironies of the film — real life in all of its splendor can legitimately look so peaceful and pristine it could be confused for an AI fabrication.

There’s no coding enhancement in American Southwest. The beauty on display is real and the casual challenge Masters throws out to viewers is that it’s something worth fighting to ensure endures for generations to come.

Quannah Chasinghorse kicks off American Southwest with an on-camera debut. It’s a warm, inviting moment to put a voice to the voice in the sky throughout the rest of the film. Chasinghorse has such a rich tone and makes for an ideal narrator guiding viewers through the diverse landscapes and settings.

The American Southwest explores the impact of the waterways of the Colorado River and its ties to the various species of wildlife that needs it to thrive for their survival and the impact of water maintenance on the entire ecosystem.

Masters largely focuses on animals to guide the story. With a playful script that breaks down their adventures, the film maintains a lively tone. To start, Masters looks at the bull elk focusing on a younger male trying to gather his harem.

In a fun moment that wonderfully lays out the engagingly educational spirit of American Southwest, Masters shows the bull elk getting riled up to gain a female elk’s attention to no avail with some clever dialogue that suggests the bull elk and men can have some surprising similarities when they fail to catch their crush’s eye.

The next spotlight falls on a family of beavers and their efforts to set up natural dams. Masters does a spectacular job of bringing the viewer into every aspect of the beavers’ lives from the literal grind of gnawing away at trees and carefully avoiding its fall to underwater exploits.

Next up is the journey of cutthroat trout as they swim upstream to find the ideal spot for their eggs. Masters brings the full journey to the screen showing the females laying their eggs and the males fertilizing them with their milt. Of all the sequences in American Southwest, this might be the one where adults might want to distract younger viewers who might have plenty of questions after watching that scene.

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Maybe the strongest spotlight is the segment looking at the giant salmonfly, whose lives began in the river only to get swept away by strong waves. Eventually they make it to the surface as the next phase in their evolution plays out just in time for them to deal with a far more serious threat to their existence — fellow wildlife near the riverbanks.

Masters crafts a genuinely funny scene with camera angles presenting ducklings, ducks and ground squirrel akin to horror movie monsters that can strike them down or make a meal of them in an instance. It is a little morbid watching some of the salmonfly not make it, but Chasinghorse’s delivery eases any potential trauma.

The California condor focus is easily the most suspenseful as a young condor spreads its wings and tries to practice its flying techniques with some unexpected results. Masters also explores the mating rituals of a rattlesnake and jaguar.

One of the smarter storytelling techniques Masters utilizes is letting nature speak for itself in certain moments. Or in some of the more dramatic moments of American Southwest, letting the complete silence underscore the need for preservation of these environments.

Like most documentaries, the film feels about one segment too long ultimately coming down to one of the two segments without animal accompaniment. Masters wisely doesn’t make the challenge to preserve the river’s flow a political issue, but a brewing national issue regardless of party affiliation.

Beneath its adorable ensemble and playful tone, The American Southwest is a call to action for viewers to their part, big or small, to aid in the effort to protect the valuable ecosystem of the Colorado River.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Fin & Fur Films

Pick up The American Southwest on Blu-Ray at Amazon.

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