Crude: A Review

Crude is a film that portrays Texaco's (now Chevron's) involvement in oil production in the Amazon of Ecuador. Texaco's irresponsible production practices and poor environmental remediation have left a trail of environmental destruction that is leaving sick natives, including many cancer victims, in its wake. The natives are drinking contaminated water, and living on contaminated soil. This pollution is essentially poisoning not only individuals, but also an entire culture, that once destroyed, will never be replaced. Texaco denies all responsibility, arguing that the Ecuadorian oil company that moved in after them is responsible for all pollution.
I enjoyed this film, however, it wasn't quite what I had expected. The film focuses on the trial between the natives and Texaco (Chevron) and most of the dialog is with the plaintiffs lawyers. They do show great footage of the oil pits and interviews with the natives, but the point of view is mainly of the lawyers. The law-side of this battle IS extremely important, as it has been a struggle that hasn't really gone anywhere. However, I personally think this film could have won more hearts if they focused more tightly on the plight of a few of those families whose water was poisoned and whose children were dying of cancer. But, this film was informative and heartbreaking nonetheless, and my hormonal pregnant self would probably just have cried the entire way through if it got much more personal.
Expert scientists have suggested that Chevron pay the Amazonian natives a huge settlement, but the case is still undecided in Ecuadorian court. It will likely be another 10 years or so before a resolution is found. In the meantime, Unicef and the Rainforest Foundation (Sting and his wife Trudie's foundation) have put in rainbarrels with filtration systems so that the locals no longer have to drink contaminated water.  In the meantime, they will wait around in their oil-filled soil, sick and too poor to afford treatment, until someone finally makes a decision on this case.
I have been to Ecuador twice, including to the  Ecuadorian Amazon. I fell in love with Ecuador while I was there and it holds a special place in my heart, so I can only hope that the Ecuadorian legal system makes the right decision and does so quickly before they lose any more of their culture or environmental integrity. This film is definitely worth watching (currently it is available as a watch instantly on netflix) and this struggle is definitely worth doing something about. Check out Crude's page on how to get involved.