The name of this riveting documentary, the latest by Joe Berlinger, puns on its subject, oil, at the same time that it indicts an industry for its indifference to a people and part of our planet it views as expendable. In Ecuador, in a place that was once a paradise, slick inky pools stagnate where fresh water used to flow, and people die like flies. The water is an undrinkable brown, and children suffer incurable skin disease or succumb to cancer. An on-going lawsuit against Chevron (which purchased Texaco), for drilling in the '60's and '70's provides a narrative thread with a charismatic cast of characters including a native, Pablo Fajardo, an attorney whose brother was assassinated because he tried to investigate “the situation.” Fajardo received the 2008 Goldman Environmental Prize and is honored at a concert by Sting. At the time he was thinking, Who is Sting? What are the Police?
“Crude” opened this week. The actress and movie producer Trudie Styler who with her husband Sting created The Rainforest Foundation attended the screening. In Crude, she is seen wearing a white scarf; speaking with the Ecuadorian people, she promises to bring their message to our world. Knowing this is just a temporary measure, she brings water containers to catch fresh rain. The real goal is to have Chevron clean up the mess. I asked her what were the conditions of her visit. “You have to wear layers,” she told me, “to prevent being bitten by chiggers. We stayed in pensiones and ate fruit. The Amazon is unspeakably hot, and then there's the pervasive smell of gasoline.” Joe Berlinger said that after he became aware of the problem, he could no longer return to his home in Westchester, to his children who each have their own room, without addressing this egregious situation. Documentaries always depend upon those found gems, in this case, Sara McMillan, Chevron's Chief Environmental Scientist who attests without irony, without question, that she would never condone the actions of a company in polluting, or behaving negligently or criminally. Of course there are those who will take her at her word and believe that the Ecuadorians are seizing the moment to make big bucks from a huge, wealthy corporation. That's why you have to see this film. She provides great humor and the filmmakers use her commentary judiciously. When I say how much I enjoyed her interview, Berlinger smiles wryly and says, “yeah, she drank the Kool-Aid.”
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