Last week the Institute for Contemporary Arts (ICA) and other cinemas across London showcased films for the 13th annual Human Rights Watch film festival. The UK premiere of Crude, a documentary about a 13 year-old battle between indigenous tribes in Ecuador and the oil drilling which Chevron started, is one of the festival’s highlights.
The documentary does not preach, but rather shows both sides, a refreshing break from the slew of Michael Moore films and spin offs which are informative but inherently flawed. Crude lets the viewer make up their own mind, though the injustice is clear. The awful effects of the refineries and oil spills speak for themselves. 30,000 indigenous plaintiffs have contaminated water to drink and some have been forced off their land. Many have contracted cancer from living atop covered up oil pits that were not cleaned properly when Chevron moved out in 1993.
The film works well because it has engrossing characters which give the case a human face. The charismatic and sweet Ecuadorian lawyer contrasts against the brash but clever American lawyer as they work together with groups like the US-based Amazon Watch to try to bring the case to court. Unfortunately, and as predicted, Chevron has been prolonging the case since it started 13-years ago, their main aim to dry up the prosecuting team’s funds. Crude is an anger-making but insightful look at the severe injustice the indigenous tribes affected by the refineries in Ecuador have suffered in the past 30 years, and how the capitalist giants who commit these heinous crimes can always buy their way out of them.
Thanks for this. I wish I could see the film.
It’s available on DVD. You can rent it from the online DVD rental sites like Netflix (US) or Lovefilm (UK).