David Farnor | On 01, Jan 2024

Director: Daniel Goldhaber
Cast: Ariela Barer, Kristine Froseth, Lukas Gage, Forrest Goodluck, Sasha Lane, Jayme Lawson, Marcus Scribner, Jake Weary, Irene Bedard
Certificate: 15

“We need to start attacking the things that are killing us.” That’s the blunt argument laid out by Xochitl (Ariela Barer) partway through How to Blow Up a Pipeline. The film, inspired by the book of the same name by Andreas Malm, follows a group of young activists who do exactly as the title suggests: bomb an oil pipeline in Texas to disrupt its flow and send prices so high it upends the industry. While the book is a non-fiction treatise on activism, director Daniel Goldhaber smartly reworks it into a heist – but with all the Hollywood glitz and sparkle removed.

We begin with the act already in motion, which sets the pace and tone for an urgent thriller that doesn’t stop moving. As the plans unfold, sometimes with clockwork precision and sometimes spiralling into danger, the script – by Goldhaber, Barer and Jordan Sjol – jumps back and forth to reveal how the group got together. It’s a brilliantly effective move in a scorchingly efficient piece of storytelling, which ratchets up the tension with every step the gang get closer to achieving their end goal. DoP Tehillah De Castro amplifies the intensity of the sun-scorched exteriors through gritty 16mm film, while Daniel Garber’s editing is clinical, working with Gavin Brivik’s propulsive score to keep us on the edge of our seats. Goldhaber emerged as an interesting filmmaker with Cam. His sophomore feature is a radical, confident triumph.

So much of that is rooted in the decision to take the characters seriously as anti-heroes. It’s perhaps no coincidence that Shawn (Marcus Scribner) and Dwayne (Jake Weary) are introduced through a documentary film interview – Shawn is an activist and Dwayne is a farmer whose land has been requisitioned for a pipeline – only for them to share a frustration that the film won’t make an immediate difference to people’s lives. Xochitl is a college student who is furious after the death of her mother, which occurred during a heat wave caused by pollution. Theo is a friend of Xochitl and has terminal cancer, caused by growing up near oil refineries – and her girlfriend, Alisha (Jayme Lawson), won’t stand by and watch her die. Michael (Forrest Goodluck) is a Native American who has seen his community’s land exploited by the oil industry, and has taught himself how to manufacture explosives to strike back. Holding them together are Logan (Lukas Gage) and Rowan (Kristine Froseth), seasoned campaigners willing to do what’s necessary.

The cast are uniformly excellent and naturalistic. The fact that so many of them are driven by loss of some form is a telling indication of how many lives have been impacted by the climate crisis: Xochitl movingly calls their plan an “act of self-defence”. Together, the ensemble powerfully give a voice to a generation that’s scrolling through social media and witnessing the planet reaching buckling point – and finding their patience reaching breaking point too.

A key discussion half an hour in pauses to delve into the nuances and moral complexities of their plot, from the ethics of protesting to the definition of “terrorist”. The feeling of betrayal and anger is palpable, but this isn’t a blanket condoning of activism: there’s time here too to acknowledge the fallout of their mission, and the fact that the poorest members of society will be hit the most by rising oil prices. It’s a crucial turning point because it not only cements these individuals’ resolve, but emphasises their uncertainty, as they try to work out what the right response to something bigger than them is.

Then, it’s a relentless ride to the explosive finale, one that leaves us working out our own response and stance while trying to keep up with the nerve-shredding drip-feed of actions and consequences. Whether you fully go along with their ideas and reactions, this is an evocative, passionate and stirring snapshot of a critical moment in history for this planet – it’s rare that a thriller feels this gripping and timely.

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