When a natural gas company was drilling they unintentionally unleashed a volcano of boiling mud which rushed to the surface and spread out like a tsunami. Devouring 16 villages the mud continues to flow (it isn't expected to stop for at least another 12 years) despite the best efforts of the private and public forces to stop it. The survivors were left to dangle in the wind as they took no responsibility and under cut all efforts to help the affected people. The film follows one activist as she fights to get the company to pay for hat they did.
Containing what is probably the most visually arresting opening of any film at this year's DOC NYC, GRIT is a truly stunning look at a man made disaster that is still going on in Indonesia. It is a David and Goliath story centered on a tragedy of unimaginable scale. I completely understand what happened and why but I still am shocked that all they can do to stem the tide is build dykes and redirect the mud.
This is a fillm that will get your brain going. Clearly it shows that activis can help if you stick to it, but it also makes clear the total inhumanity of corporations and the rich who simply don't care they screw over and hurt. As the film makes clear the company was at fault, despite the legal finding they were not and their insistence that the victims produce proof of financial damage when their homes are buried under several feet of mud is ludicrous.
This film will piss you off with the story it tells as it stuns you with the visual of the roiling mud.
One of the must sees at DOC NYC
No comments:
Post a Comment