Matt Damon’s Promised Land is a movie ostensibly about fracking and shale gas, but it has little that’s helpful to say about the real issues involved—other than hinting that the subject is complicated.

The movie is about a man struggling to be good and successful, weighing the demands of his career with his need to do what is right and to be accepted by his community (and a pretty teacher named Alice). It’s also, secondarily, about a community struggling to take care of itself in a difficult economy, while still holding onto its pride and taking care of its land.