The only "mumblecore" documentary I've run into so far. Josh Fox does a great job of portraying the problems with natural gas "fracking" and how it's effecting the people who live near fracking sites, but his shakycam filming style and monotone narration leave more to be desired.

It managed to get me all riled up about the issue. It presents it in a great and personal way, it's almost as if he is discovering all this along with the audience. His observations about it looking like a car in the 50's are very poignant and certainly a valid and horrific concern... fracking sounds like one of the worse ideas I've ever heard.

A great eye opening documentary about natural gas drilling. I have never seen tap water light on fire before and these people were living like this. Really unbelievable

Not the best in terms of film making, but a devastating subject that everyone should be aware of. You need to see this film.

Part of The December Project

A rage inducing documentary that looks at the broader effects of natural gas drilling by focusing on personal stories of those affected. Josh Fox comes of as personable and real: a guy just out to find the answers to the things that have had a major impact on both his life and the lives of other, regular people. This could be seen as having a liberal biased, but I don't see it; all it does is show what happens because of gas fracking. People are getting sick and their lives are being ruined. It is a major issue and one that should be placed above protecting the profits of corporations and government officials.

Although it can be said that this film has some bias in its tackling of the subject, it still compels you to understand Josh's cause. No doubt that this film is an awakening for the sense of unity among Americans.

"This looked like a horror story dressed up as a documentary, a conspiracy theorist's nightmares turned into an Oscar nominated film. The extraction of gas appears to have polluted water supplies all over America at the very least - seeing people light water flowing from taps was shocking. This is a very interesting look at how large companies can ride roughshod over 'ordinary citizens' with the help of politicians defending their commercial interests."

I had previously read a little about Hydraulic Fracturing, or "Fracking," but this documentary really hit home. It is clearly a story that personally touches the life of the director, and its honesty and clarity of vision will move you to just how crucial an issue saving our planet from fracking is.

#see

As much a horror film as a politically-minded documentary, this amateur outing follows the journey of Josh Fox to investigate the effects of natural gas drilling when he is offered a sizeable sum to make his land available for the process. Uncovering in his travels across America water so contaminated it goes up in flames, animals so unhealthy their hair has begun to fall out, and people suddenly subject to frequent headaches, Fox quickly turns from casual storyteller to activist when confronted with the staggering injustice of these unaddressed outcomes. With the same sort of intimately personal narration that made Dear Zachary so compelling, Fox presents educational information with an emotional edge, weaving humanity into the abstract facts in such a way as to make them fascinating to study. A skilled visual artist additionally, his use of a variety of landscapes adds a scenic beauty to the film that transcends the technical limitations of its impromptu film crew’s equipment.