“Gaslit” opens with a promise and keeps it: Jane Fonda is the guide, not the hero. The two-time Academy Award winner has spent decades putting her fame behind causes, most recently through Fire Drill Fridays, her climate protest series with Greenpeace. In this film, she takes on a more challenging role than that of a typical movie star. She steps aside.
Greenpeace USA’s first feature-length documentary follows Fonda on a road trip from the oil fields of West Texas’ Permian Basin to Port Arthur, Texas, and Cameron, Louisiana, where liquefied natural gas export terminals now rise besides refineries and chemical plants. Writer, director and producer Katie Camosy spent about eight years making short climate films for Greenpeace before this feature debut. She keeps the camera on the people living downwind.
The U.S. is now the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, and “Gaslit” argues that the boom carries a second bill. To secure their future, the same companies are doubling down on petrochemicals and plastics, and Gulf Coast communities absorb the fallout.
The film traces that chain link by link. It starts with pumpjacks and methane in the Permian, moves to the export terminals on the coast and lands in the corridor locals call Cancer Alley, where industrial plants sit besides homes, schools and churches. Most viewers have never seen that map drawn as one line. Camosy draws it clearly, without burying the audience in charts.
The film’s real strength is its coalition. Shrimpers, cattle ranchers, former oil workers, faith leaders and self-described “reluctant activists” share the screen. They come from different politics and cultures and agree on one thing: the coastline they love is worth defending. That range matters. This isn’t a film about one kind of activist. It’s a film about neighbours.
Port Arthur’s John Beard and Cameron’s John Allaire, a retired environmental engineer fighting the LNG buildout near his home, give "Gaslit" its moral centre. Louisiana activist Jo Banner adds a voice from the communities that have lived longest with the plants. Camosy also incorporates Greenpeace footage from three decades ago, demonstrating that these communities have been raising alarms for a generation and that their warnings have gone unheeded.
Connie Britton and Maggie Rogers appear along the way, but Camosy never lets star power crowd out the locals. Fonda works as a doorway, not a destination. Her presence opens the door, and the people on the other side do the talking.
The film also makes room for something climate documentaries usually skip: joy. Camosy has said resistance is hard but can also be joyful, and “Gaslit” shows people finding connection and strength in each other. That choice keeps nearly two hours of hard truths from feeling like a funeral.
“Gaslit” is an advocacy film made by an advocacy organisation, and it never pretends to be otherwise. This film is the residents’ side of the story, told with conviction. Viewers who want a balance sheet of industry talking points won’t find this film neutral. It was never meant to be.
What sets “Gaslit” apart is who gets to talk. Instead of experts explaining a crisis from a safe distance, it lets the people breathing the air make the case. The film won Best Documentary Feature at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February. It has since screened at festivals including Milwaukee and was shown at the European Parliament.It’s the rare climate film that leaves you angry and less alone at the same time. Fonda lent it to her name. The Gulf Coast gave it its voice.
Where to watch: “Gaslit” is available to rent or buy on Prime Video and streams on Documentary+, with more platforms rolling out in November. Find all options at gaslitdoc.com/watch.
Watch my interview with director Katie Camosy below. https://youtu.be/m5k09W7t2zE?si=OKvA7TJVCh1MMJWM
