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Reviewed by:
  • Between Midnight and the Rooster’s Crow
  • J. Montgomery Roper
Between Midnight and the Rooster’s Crow. Directed by Nadja Drost. Brooklyn: First Run/Icarus Films, 2005. 66 minutes. Color. VHS. $348.00 purchase; $125.00 rental.

Nadja Drost sets out to examine the role of the Canadian oil company EnCana in Ecuador, and concludes that it is "one big complicated mess that no one is taking responsibility for." While the film is useful for introducing some of the stakeholders and issues involved with oil development in Ecuador, its examination lacks depth or breadth. The film is divided into two major sections. The first focuses in and around the town of Tarapoa, where EnCana is extracting oil and, according to company representatives, helping communities and cleaning up messes left by previous owners. Drost, however, finds that the "help" is minimal and the mess continues. A "cleaned up" area is still covered with crude, and locals complain of health and environmental problems. The second section of the film is longer and examines the impact of the construction of the OCP heavy crude oil pipeline, in which EnCana is a key player. Drost visits several regions along the pipeline, documenting local [End Page 511] resistance and the efforts by the government, police, and OCP representatives, often working together, to eliminate or silence this.

Drost uses a combined style of investigative reporting and personal travelogue to mixed effect. The film cuts between footage from the affected areas, interviews with local people, and interviews with government and company officials. This works well, and there are a number of excellent quotes caught on film. Her narrative, however, is often as much about her personal effort to get to some elusive truth as about the subject of the film. This is particularly distracting in the first part of the film, in which Drost puts on a show dodging security guards who never really come across as malicious. This style detracts from the main focus as well as from the organization of the film, which is based on chasing down clues to a growing set of questions, rather than building a clear argument. Aesthetically, the best footage is nature shots that are pleasing but are not used to a particularly powerful effect.

While the documentary introduces a number of the stakeholders and problems associated with oil development in Ecuador, Drost misses the opportunity to tease out some of the complexity either in Ecuador or on a global scale. Her focus is primarily on events, so little light is shed on the lives or motivations of stakeholders. While she seems intent on discrediting EnCana, she does not provide hard data from other sources to support local claims that oil has had some impact, for example on health and wildlife populations. Drost also ignores many of the crucial bigger questions, for example concerning the nature of the oil economy or the plight of developing countries in general. While a final scene hints at some of these issues by showing cars on a highway in Canada, they are not explored any further.

In sum, the documentary lacks academic sophistication but could be of use for students unfamiliar with the issue. It certainly raises a number of important questions that would be good starting points for discussion. While the personal travelogue approach detracted from the organization and the potential strength of the argument, students might identify with Drost and her adventure.

J. Montgomery Roper
Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa
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