Environmental activists plan to disrupt an oil pipeline in How to Blow Up a Pipeline. Orphaned after a freak heatwave claimed her mother’s life, Xochitl (Ariela Barer) sets a plan to destroy an oil pipeline in Texas. She is joined in this effort by Shawn (Marcus Scribner), Theo (Sasha Lane), Michael (Forrest Goodluck), Alisha (Jayme Lawson), Dwayne (Jake Weary), Rowan (Kristine Froseth), and Logan (Lukas Gage). They each have their reasons for joining this activist effort. As the group puts their plan into motion, each member and their role in this act of eco-terrorism are highlighted.
How to Blow Up a Pipeline is an eco-thriller directed by Daniel Goldhaber (Cam), inspired by Andreas Malm’s controversial 2021 non-fiction treatise of the same name. The film takes a Reservoir Dogs-style narrative approach by depicting this act of eco-terrorism while cutting away to flashbacks that tell the backstories of each of the members.
The ultimate goal of How to Blow Up a Pipeline is to humanize this eco-terrorist group, who believe that sabotage is an effective and necessary form of climate activism. The film features some exceptional editing by Daniel Garber, who chooses to cut away at the most nail-biting moments to provide some character exposition. The result is that How to Blow Up a Pipeline is an exceptionally well-crafted eco-thriller that is a must-watch for anyone that cares about climate change.