Preview by Jon Donnis
The oil industry has long provided fertile ground for stories about greed, corruption and the price of ambition, and Crude Awakenings looks set to take a sharply satirical approach to the subject.
Directed by Omri Dayan, this British drama follows ambitious PR strategist Ava Rice, played by Django Chan-Reeves, who lands a potentially career-changing position at a notorious energy conglomerate. The promise of wealth and professional success proves difficult to resist, but her new role soon forces her to confront the moral compromises that come with it.
Ava's world takes a disturbing turn when a mysterious sickness begins spreading throughout the firm. What initially appears to be the perfect opportunity begins to expose a much darker reality, leaving Ava caught between her ambitions, her conscience and concerns for her own health.
Chan-Reeves, known for The End of the F***ing World and Industry, leads a cast that also includes Gary Fannin and Doug Colling. Together, they inhabit a corporate world where appearances matter, ambition comes at a cost and doing the right thing may prove considerably harder than turning a blind eye.
With its combination of environmental concerns, corporate corruption and dark wit, Crude Awakenings looks to offer more than a straightforward warning about the oil industry. At its centre is a character faced with a deeply personal choice over just how much she is willing to sacrifice for success.
Crude Awakenings arrives on digital on 24 August from Reel2Reel Films.
Apple TV
