HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE
(directed by Daniel Goldhaber, 2022)
**** (out of 5)
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> Here’s a film that was as intriguing as it appeared- always a welcome discovery!
. It’s a new sub-genre of thriller that presents saboteur as hero, not terrorist. Andreas Malm wrote the book that inspired this movie. They are cousins, but two very different animals. The book was more manifesto than drama, explicitly making the case for destruction of property as a desperate act of resistance against the petrochemical industry, an economic construct that is quickly pushing the earth to a tipping point that could change everything forever, in unpredictable and terrifying ways. Filmmaker Daniel Goldhaber took the treatise and used it to fashion a narrative about a lose group of ecoterrorists, who meet in Texas to perform a criminal act of monkeywrenching that they hope will disrupt business as usual, and force the world to reconsider its dependence on highly polluting fossil fuels. This fine thriller unfolds like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle being added one by one, until the larger picture emerges.
. It’s a pleasure to see so many fresh faces, giving such solid performances. The only actor I recognized is Sasha Lane, who was so good in AMERICAN HONEY. The central question: will these idealistic monkeywrenchers succeed, and if so, will it have any effect? Only one of those questions is answered, which is a bit unsatisfying. But it’s hard to complain when everything else is so artfully modulated.
. As in every good thriller, unexpected events throw repeated, nail-biting kinks into the plot. With each development, the tension ratchets up. Technically, it is very accomplished. The camerawork and editing in particular are notably exceptional. And the film achieves its central aim: to make the viewer think about the issue and ponder which side of the fence they fall on. Monkeywrenching, by definition, is not meant to injure or harm a single individual, but rather to attack an intractable problem with a theatrical flair that captures the world’s attention, and gets people talking.
. But Reality can be a messy thing. People are unintentionally hurt all the time by well-meaning acts. All the careful planning in the world may not avert harm, or even catastrophe. Does this mean we shouldn’t act? What will it take to truly wake up the sleepwalking populace that the fossil fuel industry and the relentless pursuit of profit is actively murdering life on earth? It is. Monkeywrench away, eco-warriors!
– TIME’S UP. We gotta do what we gotta do.
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