FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
POWER TRIP
A large swath of North America was jolted this past summer by the reminder of how much is
depended upon electricity. In the country of Georgia (population 5.5 million), power outages
are a way of life. Formerly part of the Soviet Union, it is now experiencing an awkward and
painful transition from communism to capitalism. Whereas the electricity was once provided
gratis under the USSR, it is now a commodity. (The average monthly bill is about half the monthly wage.) The American-based company, Applied Energy Services Corporation, the
world's largest independent power company, takes over the nation's ailing grid system in the late
1990s. At the onset, only 10 percent of customers actually pay their bills, and an estimated 40
percent of the capital, Tbilisi, is illegally wired (footage includes a tour of a horrifically
dangerous and fragile electrical system in a slum of an apartment complex). Even if the majority
of customers pay, there's not enough power. The limited supply is siphoned to industries, which
are also in arrears. Thus, the corrupt government-controlled National Dispatch Center decides
who will and will not have power. Power Trip not only sheds light (pun intended) on
a nation trying to adjust to a new reality, but is also an eye opening look on this exotic nation.
Director Devlin clearly links one issue to another. The anger and shock caused by the
no-payment-no-electricity policy and AES's uphill struggle in overhauling a broken system is
well covered largely due to the accessibility to AES personal: Piers Lewis, who won't cut his hair
until a collection rate of 50 percent is reached (his hair becomes long), and the photogenic
Michael Scholey of the nationally famous raised eyebrow. The endemic governmental corruption
and the rising national crime wave are more cursorily covered. Although filmed before the ouster
of President Eduard Shevardnadze, Power Trip gives you more than a hint of the recent
political chaos. And far from dry (talking head interviews are kept to a minimum), this brisk and
matter of fact documentary would certainly appeal to Frontline and Wide Angle
viewers. KT
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