An insightful portrayal of people’s lives thrown into turmoil as corporate giant BP claims the land of a small farming village in Georgia for a multimillion dollar oil project.

Set against a backdrop of stunning mountain ranges, the film portrays a land being ripped apart by construction workers to make a path for the industrial pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, which snakes its way across the valleys. Sweeping shots of the lush and peaceful countryside is contrasted with close-ups of trucks and monstrous cranes.

The primary focus of this film is the people living in the village who have found themselves pitted against a global corporation while they fight to be fairly compensated for the loss of their land. There is an atmosphere of mistrust, and emotions run high as the people discuss health and environmental risks, government corruption, problems with determining land ownership and large discrepancies with the amounts of financial compensation being offered to individuals. One of the measures of compensation, according to the film, requires landowners to count the number of apple and walnut trees growing on their properties.

Director, Nino Kirtadz‚àöÔøΩ takes the role of detached observer and the camera is non-invasive as we are transported into the homes and daily lives of the villagers and the conflicting world of the company executives.

The film is neither preachy nor judgmental but takes a humanist approach and allows the people to tell their own stories. It is a fascinating study of human nature in the face of future uncertainty and reveals the plethora of different character traits (including strength, compassion and humour), as well as the faults and foibles of people, which surface in a crisis situation.

A powerful and moving account of a highly complex issue.