An industrial accident in Indonesia unleashes a toxic mud tsunami, displacing 60,000 people, including a 6-year-old and her mother. Over 10 years, as reparations go unpaid and survivors eke out a living, the girl becomes a political activist.
Imagine everything you’ve ever owned suddenly vanishing beneath a massive tidal wave of toxic mud right before your eyes. As you look around traumatized, you feel fear and hopelessness, realizing your home, village and mementos are forever gone and the individuals responsible for this tragedy extend no compassion nor accountability; this is exactly what occurred in 2006 in East Java, Indonesia.
Lapindo Energy Company hit an underground pocket of mud while drilling for natural gases just days after an earthquake. This horrific eruption wiped out 16 villages and displacing over 60,000 people as an inconceivable number of homes were buried under the soil. Locals believe the company paid off researchers to disclose to the public that the explosion was triggered by natural causes and owner Aburizal Bakrie claims no accountability whatsoever for the tragedy and was surprisingly not found liable in a court of law. Showing no empathy or remorse for the incident, his mother was the one who actually encouraged him to help the community so he decided to offer compensation only to those who had proof of land ownership. This dishonorable decision made it difficult for the majority due to their homes and any records being completely destroyed. Heartless and dispassionate, Bakrie claims he believes 90% of the people were lying about owning property and even those who brought proof were only compensated 20% of 100 promised.
The explosion affected the people in so many ways, not only resulting in the loss of their homes and jobs, but the toxic mud being pumped into the rivers killing fish and other wildlife and the contamination in the soil ruined the local economy. Health also became a major issue and some individuals working for Lapindo acquired terminal illnesses due to breathing in the gases that were being released from the soil. Even though there seemed to be a lot of despair, the community stood together and began to express their anger through protests against Lapindo demanding the remaining of the reparations. In 2008 the company claimed to have hit financial difficulty, therefore, stopping the payments to the victims and because of this, families continued to struggle even unable to afford to send their children to school.
As the presidential election came closer, many rallied strongly to vote against the political party that only had an interest in power and money. Candidate Joko Widodo expressed being for the people promising 100% of their reparations if he should win. Well, he did win and 10 months after the election, not one payment was sent to the victims. 10 years later, those with proof of land ownership finally received compensation for their losses in the tragedy. One family collected a mere $9,900 after the government stepped in, lending Bakrie the money to pay what he owed. In order for him to repay the government, he was authorized to begin drilling again. As I finish typing this I feel a sense of purging sadness, anger, and outrage that this was even allowed to happen. Then I was hit with some more unbearable news that the mudflow is expected to commence until 2030!
This film, like any other concerning injustice, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but I will say that witnessing the youth gathering together in rallies and have their voices heard, was inspiring and gave me a tinge of hope that they will, in fact, be okay. I was shocked that the justice system didn’t find the company liable for any damages and just assumed the people would find their way back to a stable life with no help from the government, how inhumane! This is such a great documentary, it is well constructed and the story leaves you feeling hopeful. It is definitely one that you will never forget.
In select theaters Monday, September 9th
