Reviewed by Jo Wood
Featuring Wade Adams, Abdul Samad Al-Awadi, James Blackwell
Written by Basil Gelpke & Ray McCormack
Produced by Basil Gelpke & Ray McCormack
Associate producer Linda Litowsky
Certification UK U | US G
Runtime 85 minutes
Directed by Basil Gelpke & Ray McCormack
This documentary, by Swiss born Gelpke and McCormack, isn’t one to watch if you need a pick-me-up. Seriously, if you are prone to depression or already worried about the future of planet E, don’t watch it. If you had your doubts about the greed of human nature, this will prove to you without doubt that the Western world really is sitting its fat arse on the self-destruct button.
Hands up — I admit to being a bit of an oil virgin before I watched this film. By that I mean I really had no idea how dependant on oil we are, let alone ever contemplated what we’d do when it runs out. Which is even more awful, being that my brother is a naval architect working in the oil and gas industry. This intoxicating film coherently walks us through our dependency — everything from the fuel we use, to the plastic of our water bottle, to the lights in our houses. America, by far the world biggest oil consumer, using about 25% of the world's oil, produces just 2%. We see that the human need for material possessions is sucking up what’s left of preciously low reserves, causing global wars and ... well, you get the idea. The conclusion is terrifying. Really terrifying.
This eye-opening documentary is like a car crash — you really can’t help but look, even though you’re appalled by what you see. With doomsday-esque images flashing on the screen, one can’t help but wonder if they couldn’t have focused a little more on what we, the viewer, can do about it — and, more importantly, if it really is too late, what alternative sources of energy are available to us. That’s covered briefly, in a ‘there’s no way any of these ideas are gonna work’ kind of way. My brother reliably informs me this is fear-mongering at its most hysterical. There are many options available to us, already being worked on and fine-tuned. Not least nuclear, and space-situated solar energy. I felt a little better, and then a bit cross at the movie's finely tuned pessimism. A compelling film, and one to be watched by those in any denial of human greed and consumption.
_______________________________________
SECOND OPINION | Neil Davey **** A Crude Awakening is a harsh look at the looming oil crisis, and the way in which mankind is draining this valuable resource. Sounds heavy? Well, yes, the subject matter is extremely serious. We’re running out of oil. It’s the truth – and a genuinely inconvenient one at that. However, while it’s a serious subject, filmmakers Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack have crafted a highly entertaining documentary, even as they point out that life, as we know it, is coming to an end.
Facts are delivered in straightforward style, giving the audience everything they need to: a) realise that we’re past crisis point on the oil supply (and with 300 million Chinese people holding driving licences and not yet owning cars, it’s about to decline even more rapidly); and b) work out that the US now imports over two-thirds of the oil it consumes, is thus increasingly reliant on the Middle East and that, just maybe, the ‘war on terror’ might be connected in some way. A Crude Awakening will, inevitably, be filed alongside Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth although last year’s excellent documentary Who Killed The Electric Car? makes a more enlightening sister film. Informative and entertaining, short and not-so-sweet, it’s essential viewing
• Official Site
• A Crude Awakening at IMDb