The effects of the dour economy are most deeply felt in rural America, where the struggles of the manufacturing and farm sectors have left a plethora of dying communities and lingering uncertainty.
"Promised Land," from director Gus Van Sant, taps into that unease. Written by Matt Damon and John Krasinski, it's an old-fashioned Frank Capra-esque portrait of a natural gas salesman, Steve (Damon), who has a crisis of conscience after arriving in a small Pennsylvania town to convince its residents to permit fracking on their properties.
Fracking, a lucrative but controversial method of extracting natural gas by fracturing rocks, is a loaded subject, of course, and the movie has faced plenty of advance criticism from the energy industry. But this isn't your everyday agenda-driven story of industrial villains and green-minded heroes.
The movie takes great pains to show you Steve's perspective - that he's bringing economic relief to a region that needs it - and it's more about the ethical dilemma facing him and the town than easy answers to tricky questions.
"Promised Land" thoughtfully considers where we are and where we're headed.
Sarra Sounds Off, Season 3, Ep 2: Garden City vs. Massapequa, fantasy update and plays of the week Gregg Sarra sounds off on the hype of the Garden City vs. Massapequa matchup, plus Tess Ferguson at Floyd girls tennis with the Van Cott twins, the plays of the week and a high school fantasy football update on the latest epsiode of Sarra Sounds Off.
Sarra Sounds Off, Season 3, Ep 2: Garden City vs. Massapequa, fantasy update and plays of the week Gregg Sarra sounds off on the hype of the Garden City vs. Massapequa matchup, plus Tess Ferguson at Floyd girls tennis with the Van Cott twins, the plays of the week and a high school fantasy football update on the latest epsiode of Sarra Sounds Off.
