Big Men

This moral-economic drama plays out in backroom deals that Boynton records in all their stunning and at times shameless candor.

The constant machinations can get a little confusing. Thankfully, Boynton, a dogged reporter, manages to keep the story on a human scale.

Fanon would have said that eventually "the wretched of the earth" will wake up and learn their lesson. If this vivid, compassionate but unstinting film is any indication, Rachel Boynton is not convinced.

Big Men is a black gold exposé that goes behind closed doors with key players in the African oil industry, including government officials, foreign investors and local militants.