Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, October 29: THE GREAT INVISIBLE
Margaret Brown’s exploration of the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon disaster debuted at SXSW this Spring, where it won the doc grand jury prize. It’s gone on to screen at New Orleans, Hot Docs, London, Camden, Abu Dhabi, Zurich, Full Frame, Philadelphia, and the upcoming DOC NYC in the Short List section.
Brown, a native of the Alabama coast that, like other Gulf coastal communities still deeply feels the impact of the oil spill, revisits the accident to which, as signaled by her film’s title, the rest of the world – and the government in particular – has too soon and too conveniently turned a blind eye. Less interested in detailing a comprehensive analysis of blame, Brown instead offers a kaleidoscopic – and sobering – view of the interconnectedness of the oil industry, Southern culture, local economies, and the natural world upon which they’re all dependent. Listening in on good ol’ boy talk from oil company execs one minute, the heartbreaking tales of depression and trauma from survivors the next, followed by the skeptical and wronged fishermen and oystermen whose livelihood has been jeopardized, the film constructs an indelible portrait of just how far-ranging Deepwater continues to be, more than four years later.
what (not) to doc 