OIL SANDS KARAOKE
Directed by Charles Wilkinson
In his recent public dispute with the Conservative government, Neil Young likened the Athabasca oil sands to Hiroshima. The first images documentarian Charles Wilkinson offers of this resource-rich area certainly back Youngs assertion: the landscape is an unholy amalgam of inhospitable terrain and the industrial equipment thats been crudely grafted onto it. Could anything possibly make this place more hellish? Well, how about a little karaoke?
Entertaining and enlightening in turns, Wilkinsons documentary focusses on a handful of oil patch workers who frequent Baileys Pub to croon everything from Sweet Home Alabama to The Safety Dance. With many of them viewing their employment as a financially lucrative sentence or form of penance, they commonly describe Fort Mac as a lonely boomtown and suggest that Baileys is the rare place where a sense of community flourishes. However, when called upon to opine about the industry that provides their day jobs, theres little common ground.
Using a relatively simple structure to explore the labyrinthine complexity of the oil sands debate, the film relies on a climactic karaoke showdown to offer some sense of closure. The most fascinating competitor is undeniably Iceis Rain, an openly gay drag queen who has overcome horrific abuse. Iceis captivating rendition of All By Myself is but one example of how these performers backstories bring potent subtext to songs that might otherwise be dismissed as soulless. While many of the subjects suggest that the stage offers them an escape from the drudgery, it seems closer to an exorcism, temporarily ridding them of their personal demons.
To paraphrase Britney Spears, theyre not that innocent. But damn are they compelling.
