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Syriana

Sun, 2005-12-11 17:14 — Carol Oldershaw

Don't miss Syriana. It covers everything: China; Cia covert actions; backroom deals; oil brokers; the U.S. stopping at nothing to control oil; idealism; the consequences of pursuing wealth and power; religious recruitment of hopeless, disenfranchised young men. It connects the dots ...

Also, don't miss Post Carbon's Syriana flyer which is a great tool to raise awareness of people on their way in, or out, of the movie.

Carol Oldershaw / Prescott

Comments

Vincent Sauve's picture
Vincent Sauve
December 20th, 2005

It is wrong-- Film says soon 90% of remaining oil in M.E.

I really liked Syriana despite how little it referred to Peak Oil and despite the stupendous error that soon 90% of the worlds remaining oil will be coming from the Middle East. This is completely wrong. Please see what I posted on a web page at: http://home.pacbell.net/skeptica/syriana_movie_preview.html For a great review of Syriana that explains its complexity (which is based on real life) see: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051208/REVIEWS/51130002 Post Carbon Institute is not without its errors as well. On the back of the flyer about Syriana is the comment "Consider that the World's second largest oil field (Burgan, Kuwait) just peaked in November 2005." In reality Kuwait peaked in 1972. Specifically, and according to oil expert Greg Croft: "The recent 1.9-million BOPD peak was after it produced over 2 million BOPD from 1968 through 1973. The peak was 2.41 million BOPD in 1972."
Jim's picture
Jim
December 17th, 2005

Syriana

I left the movie feeling that it had a very effective ad campaign aimed directly at the peak oil aware, but that it did little or nothing to convey any information about what peak oil is or the devistating consequences it implies. $20 a gallon gas was mentioned only in the trailer, nowhere were the economic consequences implied by gas at that price explored. If it got one student of middle eastern politics to consider peak oil then I guess it has done some good, but this is not a movie which is going to capture the imagination of the average SUV driving American. America needs a much more straight forward in your face movie set in the post-peak near future. They can take the plot right from internet sites like this one, peakoil.com, dieoff.org, afterthepeak.com ...
warnwood's picture
warnwood
December 14th, 2005

Some thoughts on "Syriana"

My thoughts on the film are here: http://www.participate.net/node/722 The short version: I'm not sure that a fantasy, even if it incorporates or is based on some actual facts, is going to convince anyone walking out of the theater that there's a problem they might be able to do something about. It's pretty good at assigning the blame elsewhere. Oil depletion is barely touched on (it's talked about more in the trailer and TV ads than it is in the movie), and the film has an overall downbeat, if not downright cynical, outlook that struck me as a depressing deadend. I'd agree that it's smart, but not particularly helpful.
Deb51's picture
Deb51
December 14th, 2005

Syriana

The movie tried to cover several complex topics in a short time. I am not certain that anyone without previous knowledge of some of these would have been able to follow the movie. However, the competition between global powers, the easy indoctrination of people with little hope and Middle East "meddling' were all addressed, albiet very lightly.
halevi's picture
halevi
December 15th, 2005

Syriana

I've been a student of international relations in general, and the Middle East in particular, for several years. Before seeing Syriana, I figured i already had a pretty good handle on whats going on over there. Upon first viewing, i was both very impressed and very entertained. Then i saw it again. A few hours after the second viewing, i randomly persued the movie's corollary website. Then i stumbled on, what was to me, a fairly obscure term. Peak oil. I had barely ever heard of it. Now, a few days and a mountain of online research later, my entire world view has shifted. International events now make frighentingly more sense. I'd been exposed to over 5 years of post-secondary education in the field of IR and the Middle East, and i simply had not considered for more than 1 minute the implications of diminishing fossil fuel reserves. And im whats considered a 'top student'. I'm just one example. This entails a massive failure of the Canadian (and Israeli) educational systems, in my humble opinion, anyway. Something tells me its not that different in most of the Western ('enlightented' and *still*-hydrocarbon guzzling) world. Syriana opened my eyes. Thats the power of film, i guess =)
CAOD's picture
CAOD
December 13th, 2005

About syriana

The movie was very insightful, but far from interesting. I have done extensive reserach on energy addiction, so for me it was not too difficult to follow. ALthough for the average citzen, it does nothing but confuse and derail. I believe docs, like the end of suburbia are a far more effective tool at propelling awareness!
Revi's picture
Revi
December 14th, 2005

Syrianna

A friend went to see it and reported being scared. He is somewhat peak oil aware, but not much. It packs a punch, but with 4 plots converging and lots of sideshow it may not get across to the average person. As the reviewer from the New Yorker said, the main protagonist is the oil industry itself. The black liquid from the underworld insinuates itself into every seam of the story. If you are a peak freak, this is a great movie. I'm going to see it again.