Words: Lauren Demarest

I cannot see how this was a box office flop. The reviews of this were simply terrible all around. But I thought this movie was incredible. This is a reflection on the environmental disaster we’re living in. It’s a meditation on art and its power or lack thereof. It’s about the American love affair with oil and the church of capitalism. It’s about how we’ve dismantled the EPA. It’s about Trump lining the pockets of the billionaire class even further. It’s a black comedy à la Don’t Look Up. And I laughed literally the entire time.

Initially we don’t quite understand why the performances feel so over the top. But, like Birdman, Alejandro Iñárritu’s Digger is a story within a story taking place in a theater on a stage. Very meta. So the actors are… well… acting. For stage. Which is a completely different animal than acting for screen. At first, I found this device to be a distraction. But by the end, it really paid off. The play in question is called Fossil Fools and is a satirical retelling of a real event from the film’s past. We realize later it’s the 25th anniversary of this cult classic play, setting this story roughly 25 years in the future. Which looks like a pretty grim dystopian future to me.

We start with Tom Cruse as an actor named Curtis playing the character of Digger Rockwell, a Texas-style oil tycoon in cowboy boots… even with silk pajamas. This man’s performance is incredible. Cruise commits to this character so totally. It’s just amazing to watch. It’s an award-winning performance despite the bad reviews. The sets as well deserve mention. Luscious and intricate and stylized. They are all moving pieces on a larger-than-life stage. And the set designers are 100% getting nominations this year. It was stunning work.

So… in the play, Rockwell’s is being warned by scientists that his oil rig has major problems that have caused an ever-growing crack in an ice shelf and that this operation needs to be shut down immediately. Digger insists that this investment is too big to shut down despite the consequences. And these consequences come fast. Not one minute later, the whole thing explodes. Everyone is dead. And the ice shelf has broken loose. It’s on a collision course with Europe. It’s projected to displace, kill, flood, destroy, etc an insane amount of Europe if Digger doesn’t warn the populations ahead of time. So he calls President Compton of the United States. Enter John Goodman.

His portrayal of US’s top dog felt, let’s say, relevant and relatable for any American readers out there. And his sniveling VP felt like a Vance-esque cheerleader. And his cabinet of yes men… very spot on as they all praise God and hide behind a thin veil of silly Evangelical prayer. They captured an attitude of indifference if not straight up contempt for our plantet and its peoples in a way that felt like we were holding up a big shiny mirror to our current White House.

The iceberg hits. And now Digger has to answer to European Parliament. I love how stylized this scene was. The costume director is certainly taking home an award for this. I’d say this 10 minute speech of Diggers is the climax. And it was like 4 minutes too long. Though it was ALL ONE TAKE. Impressive. This diatribe is about the hypocricy of those in power. Those making and passing the laws who are leading unsustainable lives themselves. Digger confronts the assembly about their reliance on cheap fuel and next day delivery and private planes. He positions himself as their savior. Their Digger. It’s coocoo nuts that after a global disaster that he has caused, he positions himself as the savior figure. Sound familiar???

Keep in mind that as this intense scene unfolds, we are watching the final dress rehearsal of Fossil Fools – a play about what’s happening in our world at this very moment. The performances are meant to be caricatures. It’s meant to poke fun. And as the actor Curtis, Tom Cruise takes offense with the play’s director Hannah at how he’s being asked to clown up his role of Digger Rockwell. Now enter Jesse Plemmons. He’s playing the producer with deep pockets. And, plot twist, he’s the real Digger Rockwell’s grandson. The only face left of the family that destroyed the world. Oops. He’s doing his part by putting on Fossil Fools 25 years later. Letting those affected… so… everyone… gather in the dark of the theater in a moment of catharsis to rage, cry, laugh, etc at the injustice of it all.

The biggest point being made is that even when art imitates life as in Fossil Fools, the audiences didn’t respond with the appropriate amount of outrage or political action when it debuted 25 years ago. So what’s the point of showing people the truth through theatre, dance, sculpture, film, fashion, etc. if no one has the desired reaction? The impetus to make change. If no one takes on the responsibility to fix an obvious crisis.

And we see what that lack of response, accountability, and action has wrought. Final scene. The curtain falls and the alarms go off. Every audience member clearly recognizes the familiar sound of the alert and what it means. They all pull on their masks. Not like covid masks. Not quite gas masks. But a modern teched-out version of something in between. It seems since everyone is prepared with one and no one exhibits any panic, that this is the new normal. The doors of the theater open to reveal an apocalyptic world destroyed by flooding. It’s unspeakably sad. And that is the point of this fabulous film. See it.