Film Review: "Crude"

As we bolted from Wholefoods to The Charles Theater in my friend's car, all I could think about was the fact that I was missing the previews, one of the most cherished parts of any good movie is their previews. If the previews are good, I automatically deem that the movie will be stellar...which it was.

The film, "Crude," is based on the clash of two worlds: Capitalist-driven "Goliath" oil giant Chevron, and the "David"-esque indigenous people of the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest.

When the opening screen appears and the English subtitles immediately flashed, I will admit, a bit of frustration raced through my mind. At times during the film, I desperately wished that I could understand Spanish; the tragic poetics of the Ecuadorian struggle expressed through their humble, yet deeply anguished words barely peeked out through the print at the bottom of the screen. The legal proceedings of a fearless Ecuadorian lawyer versus the "suits," juxtaposed with the heart wrenching stories of mothers, daughters, husbands and brothers who are loosing one another to the oil-slicked cancer that has continually encroached onto their land and lives has combined in this film to form a tragic narrative of how the North's exploitation of the South is finally receiving the repeated bludgeoning it has deserved for centuries.

Sure, you have your star-studded cameo appearances by Sting and his wife, Trudy, along with the likes of Vanity Fair magazine. As the first world begins to slowly meet up with the third world, it seems that there is a glimpse of hope for humanity, after all. However, it is not these big names that ultimately come to save the day. Rather, it is the driving force of an explosively passionate (yet humble) Ecuadorian lawyer (Fajardo) that sets the wheels in motion and begins the legal and humanitarian showdown of the past 40 years.

We will not ruin the ending. However, know this: the film will rock you to your very core. It will make you question the past 20, 30, 40 years of your life and what you have been living for.

Jackie's rating: 5 stars
Salman's rating: 4.5 stars