Crude (2009) on Netflix
NR20091h 45mDocumentary
Thirty thousand Ecuadorians sue Chevron for $27 billion, saying oil drilling polluted their homeland in the Amazon rainforest. Lawyers argue the case in Ecuador.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb7.4/10883 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes95%
Trailer
Plot summary
During 2006 and 2007, a class action brought by 30,000 Ecuadorians living in the Amazon rainforest seeks $27 billion from the Chevron Corporation over pollution from the Lago Agrio oil field, which activists call an Amazon Chernobyl. The plaintiffs say their ancestral homeland was damaged by the oil industry, and Chevron denies responsibility. The case is followed from several viewpoints, with interviews from representatives of both sides, including the plaintiffs' lawyers Steven Donziger and Pablo Fajardo and the company's lawyer Adolfo Callejas. The film also examines the celebrity support the case attracts, its media coverage, the power of a multinational corporation, the shifting politics of Ecuador under President Rafael Correa, and the region's indigenous cultures.
Cast
- Rafael Correaas Self - President of Ecuador
- Lupita De Herediaas Self - Amazon Defense Fund
- Dan Ashleyas Himself - ABC 7 News (archive footage)
- Pablo Fajardoas Himself
- Kent Robertsonas Himself - Chevron
- German Yanezas Himself (as Judge German Yanez)
- Adolfo Callejasas Himself (as Dr. Adolfo Callejas)
- Ebergeldo Criolloas Himself
- Steve Donzigeras Himself - Attorney
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Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Crude (2009)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled in 2014 that the American lawyers for the plaintiffs had used fraud in obtaining the $19 billion Ecuadorian court judgment against Chevron, and cited the film outtakes as a reason for his decision.
- On May 6, 2010 federal judge Lewis Kaplan sided with a petition submitted by Chevron and ruled that Berlinger turn over more than 600 hours of original footage, holding that the outtakes were not confidential and that Berlinger was not independent from Donziger.
- Berlinger had to spend an estimated $1.3 million on legal fees on the case about the movie, and expressed concerns about being able to make documentaries about legal cases in the future.
