Fort McMoney: Vote Jim Rogers! 2014
Distributed by National Film Board of Canada, 1123 Broadway, Suite 307, New York, NY 10010; 800-542-2164
Produced by Philippe Lamarre, Hugues Sweeney, Raphaëlle Huysmans, Louis-Richard Tremblay, Dominique Willieme
Directed by David Dufresne
Streaming, color, 52 min.
General Adult
Oil Industry, Canada, Capitalism, Democracy, Activism, Documentaries
Date Entered: 07/15/2016
Reviewed by Susan J. Martin, Acquisitions Librarian, Texas Woman’s UniversityDavid Dufresne’s short documentary, Fort McMoney: Vote Jim Rogers! purports to be a film about former trapper and Fort McMurray native, Jim Rogers, who lost a mayoral bid in 2013. It also purports to be a reflection on democracy in ruins. It is, in fact, neither.
Based on his 2013 web-based video game, Fort McMoney (http://www.fortmcmoney.com/#/fortmcmoney), writer, director, and narrator, David Dufresne’s film is disjointed and lacks a clear focus. As we are taken around Fort McMurray, home of the Athabasca Oil Sands, we meet various Fort McMurray citizens, attend a city council meeting, go dumpster diving with two affable homeless men, spend some time in a local strip club, and get a quick glimpse of the oil sands operations on an official tour. None of these tells the story of Jim Rogers and his mayoral bid, nor does it bolster the claim of failed democracy.
We do see Jim Rogers from time to time, and while he is always smiling and pleasant, the film does not give any time to Jim’s thoughts on improvement or his vision for the future. In fact, what the film does show is an odd duck with a queer laugh who does not understand the rules of order at a town meeting. When juxtaposed with the town’s actual mayor, Melissa Blake, Jim looks decidedly out of his league.
Dufresne clearly does not like the oil industry in Fort McMurray, and he makes the mistake of assuming that all good people share his view. A boom town prospering on the extraction of oil is a great evil. It is a dogma that cannot be questioned. However, no time is given for any discussion on the environmental issues, and no facts are laid out. Instead his narration is filled with unsubstantiated, biased statements: “Is democracy soluble in oil?” - “Oil rich countries are politely indifferent to the public good” - “Oil corrodes every institution.”
Fort McMurray would be a fascinating subject due to its industry and all the political, environmental, social, and economic issues that surround it. However, Dufresne is unable to formulate a story. He will never win over hearts and minds without a coherent train of thought or even an emotional connection to the folks of Fort McMurray.