Bonecrusher

Michael F. Fountain's documentary focuses on Lucas Chaffin, a young fourth-generation Appalachian coal miner who is lovingly following in the footsteps of his father, Luther “Bonecrusher” Chaffin—a minor legend in the coal-mining community of Dante, VA. The film finds the elder Chaffin at the end of his life: a cancer-stricken 61-year-old who speaks fondly of his mining days but unhappily about his son's choice. Lucas' wife is also distressed, noting the injuries to her husband's back and knee and the constant uncertainty of potential occupational disaster. To its credit, Bonecrusher compellingly details the dangers of coal mining—the sequences in the dark underground channels where men walk hunched over while breathing coal dust are truly harrowing—but as a real-life domestic drama, the film is strangely inert. Nor is it entirely clear how the four generations of Chaffins truly benefited from their labors, aside from steady employment. Lucas speaks about staying in the mines because of a good salary, but in both his home and the larger community of miners surrounding them, we see little evidence of such financial rewards. Still, given the increased interest in coal mining issues, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)