Official Trailer for ‘The Bend in the River’ Doc 40 Years in the Making
by Alex Billington
November 13, 2026
Source: YouTube
“One of the perks of getting older is letting go…” The official trailer arrived for a fascinating documentary film titled The Bend in the River, which has been 40+ years in the making. It’s not the only doc to do this, but it’s one of only a handful to follow the same real people across 40 years of time. Made by director Robb Moss. Starting in 1978, Moss records his friend’s outdoor life during one clothing-optional rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. In 2003, he filmed his friends again coming to terms with their transition from being young & carefree to responsible & middle-aged. Now, in 2025, Moss finds his friends in their 70s grappling with the choices they’ve made as individuals & as a generation. It premiered at the 2025 Telluride Film Festival last year, with stops this year at True/False, Full Frame, DOC LA, DOC NYC. “Robb continued to film over the years as a means of connection. The Bend in the River film is the resulting masterpiece, a meditation on the eternal, the temporal and the inevitable.” I love films like these because it is an irrefutable way of actually understanding how life goes and how it changes and what we regret (or not) because these are real people and none of this is scripted. Which always results in some of the best, most essential wisdom.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Robb Moss’ doc The Bend in the River, direct from YouTube:
The Bend in the River chronicles five close friends over nearly fifty years. Starting in 1978, director Robb Moss documents his friend’s outdoor rent-free life during one clothing-optional rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. In 2003, he filmed his friends again coming to terms with a transition from being young & carefree to responsible & middle-aged. Now, in 2025, Moss finds his friends in their 70s grappling with the choices they’ve made as individuals & as a generation. The film interweaves moments from the distant past with those of the recent present, taking viewers back-and-forth through time and inviting personal reflections on the inexorable flow of aging and the unfinished project of living. The Bend in the River is directed by acclaimed doc filmmaker Robb Moss, director of the films The Tourist, The Same River Twice, Secrecy, and Containment. Produced by Robb Moss, Kristin Feeley, Lisa Remington. This first premiered at the 2025 Telluride Film Festival last year, and also at DOC NYC this year. Robb Moss’ The Bend in the River doc debuts for streaming on Netflix starting December 4th, 2026 this winter. Who wants to watch this?
 |
