by Charles Kirkland, Jr.
The Bend in the River documents the flow of life as it follows five close friends over nearly fifty years.
In 1978, filmmaker Robb Moss captured a group of close friends on a free-spirited, clothing-optional rafting trip through the Grand Canyon, living rent-free, outdoors, and seemingly unburdened by the future. In 2003, he revisited those same friends in The Same River Twice, documenting their transition from youthful idealism to the responsibilities of middle age. Now, in 2025, Moss reconnects with them once again as they navigate their seventies, reflecting on the lives they have built, the choices they have made, and the cultural legacy of their generation.
The Bend in the River, directed by Moss and executive produced by Joel Coen and Frances McDormand, is a thoughtful continuation of this decades-long cinematic journey. Nearly fifty years after that original river trip, Moss steps once again into the lives of his aging friends, not merely to revisit the past but to confront the present with unflinching honesty.
While the film opens with echoes from The Same River Twice, Jeff is still running for office, Cathy is still by his side, Danny is still keeping fit, and Jim is still living off the grid. The passage of time soon reveals itself in quieter, more profound ways. Cathy and Jeff, though still close, are now divorced and living across the street from each other. Barry, once uncertain he would survive cancer, reflects with quiet gratitude. Danny finds herself working for a former student from her hip-hop fitness class. Even the Colorado River, their original setting, bears the impact of climate change: altered, diminished, but still flowing.
The film’s central theme is clear: change is not only inevitable, it is essential. Most of Moss’s subjects have adapted in ways both small and profound, revealing a collective resilience. The one exception is Jim, whose refusal to evolve has left him increasingly isolated, a cautionary tale about what happens when one resists the current for too long.
Rather than simply being The Same River Thrice, The Bend in the River marks a meaningful shift. It is less a sequel and more a reckoning, an exploration of how time reshapes not just bodies and relationships but dreams and values.
While not as revelatory as its predecessor, the film still resonates with poignant, sometimes bittersweet reflections on aging, community, and the enduring impact of the countercultural ideals these friends once held dear. With a documentary style that both meanders and races like the Colorado, Moss does not offer easy conclusions, only an honest, deeply human portrait of lives still unfolding.
As this chapter draws to a close, it is clear that the river keeps bending, and the next return, should it happen, may look very different. Still, The Bend in the River stands as a quietly powerful testament to friendship, memory, and the long, unpredictable arc of a life well lived.
Grade: C
