Crude – The Real Price of Oil (2009) 100 min – Documentary
Directed by Joe Berlinger

Because of concerns about climate change, a lot of current environmentalist advocacy — including movies like “An Inconvenient Truth” — concentrates on the dire results of burning fossil fuels. Joe Berlinger’s CRUDE a thorough and impassioned new documentary, focuses its gaze on production rather than consumption. The film, which follows the fitful progress of a class-action lawsuit undertaken on behalf of the people of the Ecuadorean Amazon, is not about the unintended consequences of using petroleum. Instead, it examines the terrible, frequently unacknowledged costs of extracting oil from the ground.

CRUDE in other words, investigates the local manifestations — cancer, contaminated water, cultural degradation — of a global problem. It also, more by what it shows than what it says, suggests that such a distinction is no longer tenable.

“Top 10 Best Documentaries of 2009.” – About.com
“Complex!…Crude is a head-on culture clash bursting with strong personalities.” – Esme McAvoy, The Independent
“A powerhouse of a documentary! This one means to shake you. And in Berlinger’s hands, it does.” –Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

$5 Suggested Donation