The Oscar-nominated documentary short program is an
interesting crop of selections this year. Four of the five nominees are simply
documents of a particular subject, be it place, character, or family. Only one
has what could be construed as having an agenda, or attempting to call
attention to an issue and even that example is a restrained portrait of the
subject matter.
In White Earth,
Christian Jensen goes to a small town in North Dakota where the population has
swollen due to recent oil drilling. People are showing up from all over the
country hoping for a better life for their families through more work. Rather
than focus on the nefariousness of oil companies, or the blight on the land
that the drills cause, Jensen talks to the children of oil workers about how
they feel about the work, their town, and their future. It’s only twenty
minutes, so it doesn’t go deep. The film presents a snapshot of a town and some
of its people. The images are occasionally beautiful, scattered though they are
throughout. The result is a simple document of family life, parenting, and the
desire to see your children have a better life.
