“Don’t watch Gasland 2 alone,” says Josh Fox. “It’s too scary, kind of like Psycho. You’ll never take a shower the same way again.”
Fox isn’t kidding. His much-anticipated, anti-fracking sequel screened at Durham’s Carolina Theatre Monday night, with many of its otherwise sterile interviews darkened with a chilling horror movie score. There’s even a scene in which Fox’s beloved Delaware River Basin near his Pennsylvania home is besieged by CGI gas wells as if they’re asteroids from on high. Where’s Morgan Freeman when you need him?
Subtlety may not be Fox’s trademark, but if he’s going for shock and awe, he nails it. His sequel, which originally premiered on HBO this summer, continues to document the ongoing political turmoil over natural gas drilling. Both Republicans and Democrats, particularly President Obama’s administration, take their lumps from Fox in the film.
Supporters tout fracking as a relatively clean drilling method that can reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil. Opponents see only disaster, noting the widespread reports of water and air contamination, as well as increased seismic activity. North Carolina Republicans side with the former, with hopes of permitting drilling as soon as 2015.
Fox’s 2010 film was nominated for an Academy Award for “best documentary feature,” even though industry types besmirched it as little more than environmentalist propaganda. He received a hero’s welcome at last night’s screening, which was organized by anti-fracking protestors from Clean Water for N.C. and Wilmington’s Working Films Reel Power.
Clean Water Director Hope Taylor estimated 500 people attended the film, which included a Q&A session with the Pennsylvania-bred filmmaker immediately following the screening.
Of the interesting moments, Fox said he could not sleep for weeks after he was originally approached to consider natural gas drilling on his Pennsylvania land. “It was one of the most lonely and terrifying and isolating things,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fox urged the protesters in attendance to continue their opposition, noting grassroots groups to stop the drilling have launched all over the country and the world. “You’re a part of a movement,” he said.
For more recent news on fracking, read nonprofit Environment North Carolina’s recent drilling report. Hint: It’s not so kind to fracking either.
