The word “pipeline” has become politically charged, and this film’s title does away with any remaining ambiguity about where it falls on the subject. This adaptation of the manifesto written by Andreas Malm envisions the planning and execution of a devastating blow to the oil industry as a heist movie, bringing together eight different people, all spurred to action by various motivators in their lives. It’s an enticing and creative take on environmental activism that keeps its story tight and focused, remaining fully zoomed in on its progressive protagonists rather than pulling back to the greater fight in which they are engaged.
Director Daniel Goldhaber describes his film as the “Ocean’s Eleven for environmental activism,” which is an effective way to explain its general tone and mood. A tense score sets the pace early on, and the action begins right away. While Goldhaber describes an initial – and apparently terrible – version of the script that featured just one flashback sequence, he notes how the structure of Reservoir Dogs inspired him to instead intersperse scenes throughout the film to explain the backstories of the people involved in this daring plan. It’s a successful approach that also serves to prolong the tension that arises as obstacles threaten to derail all their hard work and result in crushing failure.
This does feel like a caper, though these people are not in it just for fun. They each bring with them a passion, whether rooted in childhood exposure to chemical plants that has led to terminal illness or the powerless witnessing of an abuse of power by government agencies to take land and turn it into something toxic and dangerous. The conversations they have about how they will be remembered in history are fascinating and reflective of their complicated feelings about what they are doing. Some in the group worry that people will hurt and suffer because of their actions, while others clarify that history books tend to rewrite militant rebellions and resistance movements into nonviolent protests once they have succeeded and become accepted by society. The term “terrorist” is also up for debate since it brings with connotations that several participants feel are honorable given their company in true revolutionaries.
The ensemble includes several standouts, most notably Ariela Barer, who also serves as a co-writer, as Xochitl, the fervent leader of the group. Forrest Goodluck and Sasha Lane also inhabit their characters, a North Dakota native eager to take action and a terminally ill woman intent on going out with a bang, with emotion and substance. The rest of the cast, which includes Jake Weary, Marcus Scribner, Jayme Lawson, Lukas Gage, and Kristine Froseth, infuses individuality and a communal sense of the pursuit of justice into their roles.
How to Blow Up a Pipeline contains positive echoes of another strong eco-thriller, The East, but it feels more naturalistic. There are no frills to enhance this story and make it feel particularly cinematic, and instead, the action simply plays out as its characters are experiencing it. Goldhaber describes it as a fantasy, a conceptualization of Malm’s manifesto that imagines how this could happen if progressive activists were organized and specific, set on covering all their bases and getting everything right. It may be interpreted by some as a call to action, but is probably better understood as a vision of progress, where careful planning does pay off and the good guys have a shot at winning. It will surely be cited and targeted by those who brand it liberal propaganda, something its title invites and wears as a badge of pride. While it does serve as ample fodder for debate and spirited conversation, it also manages to be a thoroughly engaging film with a self-contained story that’s more than simply a political message.
Grade: B+
This review is from the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
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