They Come for the Gold

The title of this documentary from filmmakers Cristian Harbaruk and Pablo D'Aló Abbá is half of a graffito (“They come for the gold. They come for everything.”) left by an activist on a wall in Esquel, a small Argentinean town of 30,000 with 40 percent unemployment. “They” refers to the Canadian multinational company Meridian Gold, which has uncovered a vein in the mountains (about 75 miles away) with an average potential yield of nine grams of gold per ton of rock processed. Despite the seemingly small ratio, the discovery brings the alluring prospect of an economic bonanza in terms of jobs—while practically guaranteeing capitalist exploitation and environmental disaster (evidence here suggests that the creation of a single ring would generate 18 tons of toxic waste, including cyanide used in the processing). Advocates on both sides are represented here, although the weight clearly tips in favor of the anti-mine forces, who launch a series of actions and demonstrations that focus on the empty promises of the developer and the contradiction embedded in the fact that many similar resource-rich countries send their treasure to world financial capitals while the inhabitants subsist in squalor. As this David and Goliath tale unfolds, the events build toward a historic 2003 public referendum on Esquel's economic future. An insightful film about a situation where global politics, economics, and eco-activism meet, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)