I’ve never been happier to stop at the gas station recently. Gas for under $3 a gallon? These prices make planning a spontaneous road trip that much more tangible. I never really stopped to think about how or why gas prices change, and after watching the documentary Pump, I have a better, although not entirely clear, understanding. One thing was made clear to me, we have a right to choose how we fuel our cars and that right is not being acknowledged by the government or big oil companies, which means  the responsibility for change lays solely on us.

Jason Bateman, typically known for his comedic roles, takes a serious approach as he lends his voice as the narrator of the film. His presence is a highly appreciated one that makes the narrative easier to comprehend and breakdown. Pump is not an easy film to digest, and definitely not one that you can watch while multitasking. Statistics, numbers, and political jargon make up most of the film and although it is interesting,  it is difficult to keep the viewer’s attention throughout its non-aggressive 88-minute runtime.

The message Pump  presents, once you get past the numbers game, is simple: American made replacement fuels will equal more jobs, a healthier environment, and a stimulated, growing economy.

The unpredictable cost of fuel, coupled with the damaging effects to our environment and our dependency to over-seas oil rigs is a scary future that we find ourselves looking at today. We are forced into limited choices at the pump, which only creates a stronger foreign dependency and a wealthier fuel monopoly. The message Pump presents, once you get past the numbers game, is simple: American-made replacement fuels will equal more jobs, a healthier environment, and a stimulated, growing economy.

Addiction of any kind is hard to break, and our addiction to foreign oil is no different. Pump takes us on an educated journey through the early days of cars, starting with the transformation of electrical trolleys in 1887 to oil-guzzling buses in the 1960s. We come away with a better understanding of Rockefeller, Tesla, and other influential people who have since changed the oil game. Interviews with top oil executives, journalists, and authors round out this piece of social commentary.

The bottom line is, we can’t rely on the government to make the necessary changes for a better quality of life- at least according to Pump. There is no hiding the fact that directors Joshua and Rebecca Harrell Tickell feel very strongly about our right to choose how we fuel our cars, yet the weight of their message doesn’t fully hit home- it gets lost among countless facts, numbers and percentages that results in more confusion than clarification. The power of choice is important, and it is this privilege that makes us Americans, but unfortunately, the social impact of this film will be much less than what was hoped for.

Pump is available on iTunes today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btgHUu45H_4