MOTIVATED by confused environmental conscience, market-garden labourer Josh (Jesse Eisenberg), rich kid Dena (Dakota Fanning) and layabout Harmon (Peter Sarsgaard) are planning to make a significant statement about a dam wall that bars the spawning migration of cut-throat salmon while retaining water used to generate power that people use to run their iPads.
That’s the rationale that writers Jonathan Raymond and Kelly Reichardt (who also directs) give for the trio’s plan to destroy the dam. It’s within the realm of possibility. They are potentially nice young people whom we should want to succeed. We know their plan is diabolical.
As the project moves ahead, its enormity builds – buying 500 pounds of fertiliser for conversion into explosives for loading into the speedboat that will lie alongside the dam wall until the timer activates the detonator, the calm care with which these three amateurs make their preparations.
While this leads to accretion of tensions, the film is essentially free of dramatic high points. A more flamboyant filmmaker might have pampered us with a big bang, flames, flying debris, the whole dreadful lot. Reichardt is more concerned to tell us how the after-knowledge affects Josh and Dena which she treats in a low-key manner that delivers unconventional impact.
At Capitol 6
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