Based on the book of the same name by Andreas Malm, sophomore director Daniel Goldhaber takes this harrowing and tense tale of activism and desperation and infuses its screenplay with taut dialogue and rapid-paced editing. Every choice he makes feeds into the escalating tension and places the viewer right there with these young people as they commit a destructive act of self-defense. 

Ariela Barer leads the film as Xochitl, a college student living in the mining town whose pipelines may have indirectly caused her mother’s death. Filled with grief, rage, and a sense of anarchic justice, she recruits friends, classmates, and likeminded strangers to undertake this daunting task with her. One of those friends is Theo (Sasha Lane), who has been diagnosed with cancer due to the complications of living near the pipeline areas. Knowing her days are numbered anyways, she eagerly accepts the task and brings her girlfriend Alisha (Jayme Lawson) along with her. This ensemble is rounded out by Kristine Froseth, Lukas Gage, and Forrest Goodluck. The relatively unknown nature of these cast members are perfect for this film as they actually add to its authenticity rather than detract from its speed and intensity. Having recognizable faces might remove audiences from the intentionality of this world, which would be a shame since the film’s best aspect is how grounded in reality it all feels. Every moment in the film feels natural, from Tehilliah De Castro’s shot composition to the camerawork that creates moments inside of a shot that illuminate the danger these people have put themselves in. 

Goldhaber also does an excellent job of convincing you to question everyone’s motives and commitment. With Daniel Gerber’s exceptional editing, each character is brought into the story through flashbacks and we discover what exactly has led them to this point. The array of characters is uniquely diverse with a black lesbian couple, a white male rancher, a disgruntled Native American with an affinity for creating bombs, and two reckless, anarchistic lovers. It seems very likely that this plan will go awry in some way. Their plan is too dangerous, too risky, and too scary to succeed. These are all strangers who have bonded over one shared sentiment of anger to do something extraordinarily illegal. Surely someone will betray the others. There’s no way it can possibly end well. This tension drives us through the narrative at high altitude because we know intuitively that at some point, the other shoe has to drop.

What carries that tension along the way is Gavin Brivik’s score, which stays subtlety behind the action and only rises when the film reaches its stressful peaks. Brivik does a great job of keeping us in these moments with palpable fear. Through the careful writing of this screenplay, we’ve found ourselves endeared to each of these characters. Thus, every time something goes wrong, we deeply fear for their safety and their lives. Brivik enhances our terrified emotional attachment by providing us with the soft thumping of drums that mimic our heartbeats and some eerie strings as everything begins to unravel. 

The craft involved in this film’s storytelling is awe-inspiring, as despite being told in a nonlinear fashion, the film manages to feel tight and taut consistently. The tension ratchets up with every passing second no matter what event is occurring on-screen. This is especially impressive when you consider the fact that there is little action depicted in this film. It’s evident from the passion put into How to Blow Up A Pipeline that the climate emergency is becoming more present in the minds of young people, and that the desperation to get something done is going to drive some people to drastic action. The thesis of this film couldn’t be clearer: the greed and apathy of political leaders to do anything to improve the situation in the years to come will move more and more people to take matters into their own hands.

How to Blow Up A Pipeline is more than just a film. It is an angry plea for change. It is a rallying cry, instilling the audience with the same desperation its characters feel. It is a chilling warning that the youth will not sit idly by if inaction continues. And it in itself is a revolutionary act of self-defense.

9/10