FRACTURED LAND (Damien Gillis, Fiona Rayher). 78 minutes. Opens Friday (January 22). See listings. Rating: NN
A First Nations activist and Vancouver law student, Caleb Behn is a study in contradictions – which he freely admits.
Rather than trying to smash the system that allows the exploitation of his ancestral land in northeast British Columbia, he’s working within the establishment to raise public awareness about the damage wrought by the oil and gas industry, hoping to change the rules from within and prevent a new pipeline project designed to harvest liquid natural gas through destructive fracking.
Directors Damien Gillis and Fiona Rayher follow Behn as he speaks at conferences, makes media appearances and even takes a quick trip to New Zealand – all while preparing to take the bar exam back home.
But despite all that activity, Fractured Land never quite snaps together. Gillis and Rayher can’t bring their various angles into focus. I respect the hell out of Behn’s work, but this documentary misses the mark.
