Gift from the Bottom (2017)

Directed by: Paul Cohen, Martijn van Haalen | 88 minutes | documentary

For years it has occupied people’s minds: Groningen gas extraction. In 1959, the Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) discovered its first gas field in Slochteren. It brought prosperity to the Netherlands (the gas stove!), but ultimately also a lot of personal suffering. The whole of the Netherlands seems to have an opinion about it, although it is often ruled by the issues of the day. Reason enough for a documentary that compares all opinions about problematic gas extraction, without falling into blame/victim contradictions.

What those opinions, and by extension the film itself, show well is how petit-bourgeois the Netherlands treats the dilemma. Central to the rather cynically titled ‘Geschenk uit de Grond’ is a neighborhood in Loppersum, Groningen, which is slated to be demolished due to gas drilling and errors in building construction. That comes with a lot of clumsiness. When a test panel is presented with a box to measure quakes, this is done by having the panel, mostly elderly people, jump up and down in the room. The entire neighborhood is covered with swallow boxes, so that these birds can create a safe place for themselves. However, no one has ever seen a swallow flying around. The way engaged construction workers learn about secondary emotions is downright childish. A proper agreement is a long way off. Gas extraction continues unabated. Citizens are left empty-handed.

But, as ‘Gift from the soil’ states somewhat cumbersomely with the use of a few passages from a Roman historiography from 77 AD: Groningers are sober, hard-working survivors. They will continue to fight against the injustice that has been done to them. But even the less transparent policymakers, energy companies and the Dutch State will not budge, with Euro signs in their eyes. What remains is a split for which no way out has been found to date. On the one hand, there is something to be said for gas extraction. It is a cheap energy source, cleaner than coal and it also generates money. Moreover, the gas does not have to be taken from abroad, bought from powers that are not always in our favor on the geopolitical world stage.

On the other hand, citizens’ dissatisfaction remains rigid. This is not surprising, given the cracks in houses caused by drilling, the depreciation of the same houses and the mental problems that are not to be underestimated that accompany the whole event. The crux of ‘Gift from the bottom’ lies in the way in which the two interact. As long as everyone involved cannot take each other seriously, there will only be losers. And no solutions will be found for this long-term, but also somewhat underexposed conflict in the rest of the Netherlands.