a crude awakening by dan das mann and karen cusolito
A great story. It does what it says on the tin. This is one of the documentaries that makes me want to go and move to the country side, own a farm and become completely self sufficient. An idealistic future. But what this documentary highlights is that we are now running out of oil but this is happening as its demand is increase, and this is a problem. Due to the current way of life that we in the west are now so accustomed to and enjoy, everything is linked to oil. The production of all we own is down to oil and our economy and even our politics, are linked with it; it is oil that makes the world go around, not money. Thus, the ever decreasing supply leads to desperate and generally pretty bad decisions. War and tar sands to name but two. However, the film then moves to discuss the possible replacements; bio fuels, nuclear power and solar power are a focus, but as one interviewee comments, if using solar energy 'to generate the same amount of power we now use in fossil fuel, you would have to cover a land area roughly half the size of the state of California'.
The films content is good and it has a good mix of interviews, graphics, cartoons and archive footage. The interviewees obtained are impressive - CEOs, top oil advisors to many companies such Exxon and advisors to the Bush administration (the film was made in 2006) - making the message have a far greater weighting. I think my main problem with the film is its editing; it is clunky and continually goes to a blank screen between many of the clips, for a reason I can not gather as it just stops the whole things flowing smoothly. But, inspite of the this, its made me want to get my house in the country, so I guess its done something right.
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