Watch The River

This is a 1984 film directed by Mark Rydell, starring Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek. Much of the the production was filmed near Kingsport, Tennesee. It involves the story of a Tennessee family attempting to keep their farm out of forecloure after floods and financial difficulties. They're also fighting off a self centered land developer played by Scott Glenn. Glenn wants land so his company can build a dam to provide hydro-electric power and jobs for the valley. Gibson and Spacek's farm equipment is sold at auction at ridiculously low prices. He goes to Alabama to work in a steel mill to save the farm, but like others there, he unknowingly takes the short lived job on a scab status since there's a strike at the mill. After he and others are removed from the premises by union workers, his intention to return home is delayed by another flood. He's allowed one more chance though to again be a hero to his family.