Windfall

Rating: 3.75/5  

For various reasons, I usually find myself rooting for the bad guys in movies. Emperor Palpatine made some solid arguments, the Green Goblin actually seemed like a decent guy and if nothing else, you have to admit that Zorg in The Fifth Element had dedication to creating jobs. All of which made watching Windfall a bit confusing for me. A documentary by filmmaker Laura Israel, Windfall is not quite an exposé of wrongdoing in the wind energy industry, but does bring up a lot of under-exposed information about the potential harm a purportedly earth-friendly, positive energy source can bring with it. So who’s the bad guy when the antagonist of the movie is renewable energy?

Windfall doesn’t ever let it become completely cut and dry, but does heavily imply that a finger or two should be pointed at large corporations who essentially swindle rural areas into agreeing to lease their land to host wind turbines. Using the town of Meredith, NY as an example, Israel attempts to show how the construction of these immense turbines (at 400 feet high, they’re taller than the Capitol Building by a significant margin) can dramatically affect the inhabitants of the area, with little to no profit to them. The info presented is shocking: the persistence of low frequency noise, the shadow cover of the turbines and the danger of things like “ice throw” in winters (it’s pretty much what it sounds like). With the corporations and investors that construct the turbines largely pocketing the proceeds, wind energy is presented as a tax dodge that ruins the lives of farmers who are not properly educated or informed about all this.

While Israel stays off camera, the film is heavily partisan. It’s not mentioned in the documentary that she owns property in the Meredith area, but it’s not difficult to see that Windfall comes down hard on wind energy, regardless of a few interviewees defending it. The majority of the film is constructed around interviews of the people of Meredith and their very strong opinions on the merits of wind power. In short, wealthy landowners are generally for it, and a vocal minority are strongly against it. While that’s an oversimplification, it’s one Windfall seems to support, to the point of filming people defending the proposal in blank offices, while those against are largely lounging around in bucolic fields and hills.

But here’s the thing: the argument for or against wind energy is not at all the most compelling part of the film. While it’s a valid debate (and one far more nuanced than proponents of either side seem willing to acknowledge, by and large), Windfall is far more interesting as an examination of human conflict. Neighbors turn against each other quickly; people interested in making a profit off wind power are morally against corporations for doing the same; people grow shouting mad at conflicts that are essentially zoning issues put before city councils. When it focuses more on the people and their reactions, Windfall is fascinating. When it focuses on the wind, it’s no better than stylish agitprop.