Promised Land: Movie vs. Monster

If you are not familiar with the film Promised Land, you are probably not alone: it was in mainstream theaters for about a flea's sneeze. If you live in the Columbus area, you can catch it at the dollar theater (and I highly recommend you do). The story revolves around the hotly debated issue of fracking, or as it is referred to in its commercials natural gas derived from the shale beneath our feet. Both the wonderful opportunities natural gas seems to create and the potentially devastating consequences are presented throughout the course of the movie. Promised Land lived up to every one of my high expectations...until the last fifteen minutes, which left me feeling conflicted about whether or not the film will successfully reach those not familiar with the dangers of fracking.

When I first heard about Promised Land, I was very surprised a story of this nature was being made. I should rephrase that: I was surprised it was permitted to be made. I'm not one for conspiracies (except for that one about Elvis living on a soundstage in area 51), but the extreme wealth and power behind natural gas is well known. With that in mind, I was very happy that someone was bringing attention to the issue, and not just anyone; the film was written by and stars Matt Damon and John Krasinski. It is directed by Gus Van Sant, known for his moving works such as Milk and Elephant. The credits alone would have been enough for me to see the film. The fact that it is about fracking, a process that seems to have its teeth set on Ohio, was just huge, sweet, amazing icing on the cake.

It is a well-crafted story and visually appealing work, but I wonder if a realistic portrayal of the situation was sacrificed for a Hollywood plot twist. Without giving anything away, something happens near the end of the film that is meant to be a gasp-worthy surprise. Until that point, I thought they were doing a marvelous job of showing what was really happening in a large part of the drill worthy country. The twist seemed almost more a commentary on the questionable ethics of large corporations in general, and not specifically the danger behind shale energy. Ultimately, I think the movie would have worked if fracking was more widely understood, or even heard of. To give you an idea of how new fracking is to the general public, spell check is giving me fits for even using the word. Possibly I've missed something, and the bigger point of the film was that people should go out and make up their minds for themselves. Perhaps I'm so scared of the damage fracking could do that I was secretly hoping for a one sided call to action. Perhaps I'm too late anyway and the monster that feeds on shale is already here.