In its heyday, coal did not bring prosperity to communities - in fact, when coal was at its height, the largest producing states in the US were at the Bottom 5 in economic development, according to a senator interviewed in this filme. Is this the past that coal-lovers want to go back to?

This doc is spot on in that it provides incontrovertible evidence of the vast array of destruction that coal causes to workers and communities. It focuses not on carbon emissions - a subject which is dear to some, including me, but is too intangible to most people. It focuses instead on the lives of people affected by it, from those who do not trust the water they drink, to those who have died because of suspended coal particulates in cities. It shows how deeply unethical coal plants have been to their workers, many of whom lost their health because of coal. It shows their grip on local authorities. It shows those company's utter disregard and hostility for regulations that could harm their profits at any dismal percentage.

The pace is excellent and I could not move my eyes off the screen. It is a gripping narrative. It may not convince someone who is keen on believing that coal is the only path to progress. But it will be useful to those on the fence: they're in for a shock. To those, like me, who are enthusiastic fans of renewable energy, it will provide a much wider view of coal and the damage it causes.