Promised Land

Has everyone’s home been in their family for generations? That seems to be the case in the fictional town of McKinley, Pennsylvania. This is the setting for Promised Land, the most recent collaboration of director Gus Van Sant and Matt Damon. Promised Land follows Steve Butler (Damon), an emissary for Global Crosspower Solutions. Global is a company that specializes in a form of mining colloquially known as fracking (more on this later). Butler and his partner, Sue Thomas (Frances McDormand) must travel to McKinley to collect agreements from its residents in order to secure drilling rights. During his time their presence is met with a mixed response from its residents. Some of the locals are trying to do what is financially best for their families (based on Butler’s recommendations), while others range from mild apprehension of big business, to direct opposition of the dangers of natural gas mining in their town. Along the way he is also challenged by a grass-roots environmental campaign from a conservationist organization.

“This town, this life, is dying.”

We also learn Butler grew up in a similar town in Idaho that suffered economic collapse when an industrial plant closed down. His motivation for securing these contracts does not seem insidious, rather an opportunity for financial freedom that his hometown did not receive. Fracking, or more accurately “Hydraulic Fracturing” is a process used to force fractures in rock layers to extract the petroleum or natural gases they expel. First developed in 1947, and further refined in 1998; fracking has faced strong opposition from environmental groups over concerns of contamination to ground water (due to the chemicals used in the boring technique, as shown in the film), as well as risks of air pollution and surface spills.

“I’m not a bad guy.”

The storyline is never overly complicated, and the dialogue remains easy to follow. Lent by the acting and writing talent of Damon, each interaction is interesting and poignant; this makes the film very easy to become invested in. The third act revelation is extremely well done, and even during its development, I did not catch on until it was spelled out on screen. My only complaint is the closing of the film, after the previous ninety minutes or more of becoming invested with the characters, ultimate decisions made seem unrealistic and predictable. Promised Land was written by Matt Damon with John Krasinski (who plays environmentalist Dustin Noble), based on the story written by Dave Eggers; Eggers having previously developed the screenplay adaptation of the Maurice Sendak short story Where the Wild Things Are, as well as the 2009 Sam Mendes film Away We Go. The film was originally intended to be Matt Damon’s directorial debut, but lead was shifted due to scheduling conflicts, and directorial responsibilities were handed to Gus Van Sant, who has previously directed Damon in Good Will Hunting, as well as a string of notable films including among others:

•To Die For, 1995
•Psycho, 1998
•Finding Forrester, 2000
•Milk, 2008

Promised Land received an extremely limited release on December 28th 2012, just under the wire of eligibility for the 85th Academy Awards, however did not receive any nominations. On January 4th 2013 the film received widespread release, but ultimately did not perform to expectations, having only grossed just under $8 million by January’s end. This is unfortunate, as the story while divisive, is still very interesting. The battle between the two protagonists is captivating and left me unsure of which side I was on, even by the films final act. Promised Land has completed its theatrical run in the United States and is expected to arrive to DVD and Blu-ray in May 2013.