Documentaries may be hot stuff right now, but it's hard to warm to Rivers and Tides, a profile of British artist Andy Goldsworthy. Goldsworthy's environmental creations -- beehive-like structures made from stone and beaver dams constructed to float on the ocean -- are delicate and magical. Most of his projects are ephemeral, built to last a few hours and then melt, crumble or drift away, so the biggest part of the film's appeal is the privilege of being able to witness their brief lives.

German director and cinematographer Thomas Riedelsheimer takes a self-conscious step backwards from his material, allowing his lens to simply capture Goldsworthy's life and presenting it almost completely free from analysis. The artist lectures the camera on his beliefs about nature and art, and voice-over is used liberally to overlay sequences dwelling on his work. But considering how much screen-time Goldsworthy is given, his words lack impact; he talks about how nature is constantly in a state of flux; how landscapes described as pastoral can be deceptive, and so on. (When talking about life in his rural Scottish idyll, he gives off a distinct air of old fuddy-duddyism.) While Riedelsheimer deliberately avoids outside influences, the film cries out for some kind of external reality check -- what do other artists, critics or art-lovers think of Goldsworthy, and his philosophy?