HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE
Cert 15
104 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, injury detail, drug misuse, threat
I am torn on the subject of environmental protestors breaking the law because the world has been more often changed for the better by action than words.
For example, the fights for the vote, against slavery and worker exploitation have all been accompanied by violence.
Modern-day environmentalists would say they have had to resort to extreme methods because those in power are not listening to reasoned arguments.
This is the tack followed by the disparate but committed gang in Daniel Goldhaber's How To Blow Up A Pipeline.
Set in Texas, it stars Ariela Barer as Xochiti, who decides to take environmental activism into her own hands after witnessing the devastating effects of pollution.
She enlists her friend Theo (Sasha Lane), who has terminal cancer, and her pal's more sceptical girlfriend (Jayme Lawson).
They hatch a plan with an ultra-secret network which includes a Native American (Forrest Goodluck) and a Texan (Jake Weary) whose home has been seized by a large corporation for oil drilling.
The gang adds a few others before driving to Texas and executing their plan to blow up a pipeline.
The group dynamic is testy, but they trust each other enough to agree to specific, intricately organised tasks and risk jail or their lives.
The film is inspired by Goldhaber feeling motivated by the climate change crisis.
He should be pleased with how many people have watched it, but I wonder whether they will elicit as much empathy as he hoped.
I suspect those who believe in direct action will applaud him and those who don't think giving violent protest such a platform is reprehensible.
I was more concerned that the acting was limp and the storyline was one-dimensional, despite brief attempts to delve into the characters' background.
Reasons to watch: Unusual subject matter
Reasons to avoid: A bit clunky
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 4.5/10
Did you know? How to Blow Up a Pipeline is based on a book written by Andreas Malm who argues that sabotage is a logical form of climate activism and criticises pacifism within the climate movement.
The final word. Daniel Goldhaber: "For us, this film is something that we feel like we can do to change the cultural conversation, to shift the way we talk and think about climate and the tactics that the climate movement is using — but we have to do it now." Roger Ebert
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