"White Earth" is the least depressing of the films nominated for this year's Oscar for Documentary Shorts, though it also seems to be rather aimless. It's set in rural North Dakota. Most Americans know that this is a barren, freezing and sparsely populated region-- as well as probably the least visited part of the country. Because it doesn't have a lot of what folks would consider natural beauty and it's so miserably cold, I appreciate what the filmmakers had to do to make this picture. I just wish I knew what point it was trying to make. Perhaps there is none. The film interviews a lot of kids and one adult and several interesting topics were raised but never really explored on their own. I really think the film might have been better had it focused on one of these topics more in depth. There was a boy who appeared to be about 12 who doesn't go to school. Instead he just wanders about town, plays video games and throwing ninja throwing stars. I would have loved to have known why he didn't go to school--as there was one featured in this tiny oil producing town. There also was a very interesting Hispanic family which has very high hopes for their children's future and they work hard to bring them a better life. And, there is a local girl who loves animals and thinks the oil production is messing up the look of the area--though I found it hard to relate, as oil has to come from SOME place and it might as well be this wasteland. A discussion about the oil production's impact on the environment is interesting and worth pursuing but also really wasn't discussed much as well.
It is possible that this film, though the least of the nominees, could win simply because it doesn't make audiences want to kill themselves after seeing it!
