I’ve been wanting to see How to Blow Up a Pipeline for a while. I really enjoyed Ariela Barer’s work in Marvel Runaways and was keen to see this movie that she not only acts in, but also co-wrote and co-produced. And, it did not disappoint.
Fittingly for a 1 hr 43 min run time, the movie chucks you right into the action and does not let up. As you might surmise from the title, the story follows a group of characters who have united to blow up a section of pipeline in Texas with the aim of sky rocketing oil prices and galvanizing the radical change required to address the climate crisis. They posit that this sabotage is justifiable self-defence against powerful companies that contribute most greatly to the crisis, with many of the characters driven by the direct impacts they have already suffered.
The story oscillates between their character backstories and motives, as well as the mission at hand. The movie often jerks you from a pressure-filled, high-stakes situation to a flashback, which keeps the suspense building. Someone described this as a “heist” formatted movie, and I’d agree that it keeps you on your toes much in the same way.
The acting was also phenomenal with some familiar like Sasha Lane and Forrest Goodluck (a Miseducation of Cameron Post reunion) and emerging ones like Kristine Froseth and Marcus Scribner. I found the movie riveting not only for its format and acting, but also for its relevancy, and the questions it asks about how individuals can work to create the effect needed when there are so many systems of power preventing the radical change required.
A gripping tale that I’m sure you’ll enjoy!
