Pretty Slick

In 2010, the Gulf of Mexico was the site of an environmental catastrophe due to BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill. While news coverage of the spill dominated the media, the strategy adopted by BP—with the federal government's consent—to stop the ongoing disaster was not widely analyzed: specifically, BP's decision to use the chemical dispersant Corexit to sink the oil, rather than clean it up. Independent documentary filmmaker James Fox spent three years investigating the impact of the Corexit fix on the Gulf, arguing that BP engaged in a massive cover-up while making reckless decisions to end the situation. Fox goes out of his way to confirm charges against BP, running his own water tests to determine toxicity levels in the Gulf while also interviewing numerous scientists who discuss the ongoing effect that the spill has on the ecosystem. Fox insists that safety concerns regarding both the environment and the general public were overlooked in favor of rapidly restoring Gulf Coast tourist-driven economies, and he includes comments from fishermen and others who rely on the Gulf's waters for their livelihoods. Pretty Slick also does not let the government off the hook: despite massive fines against BP, no new federal safety standards have been put into place. An invigorating work of investigative filmmaking that is certain to spark much-needed discussions about environmental safety issues, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)