This contains spoilers for Digger (2026).
Like how most man-made catastrophes begin, Digger (2026) opens on a rich, powerful white man. Old, crude, and crass, Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise) owns one of the biggest oil companies in the world, passed down from his father and his father, and spends little time actually overlooking his business. That indifference is how he ended up missing the countless warnings from his scientists to halt his oil extractions in Greenland and Alaska due rising methane under the glacier, until it's too late.
When the methane exploded, it blasted off a massive glacier that would soon collide into Norway, triggering catastrophic tidal waves across Europe. Using his immense influence, Digger forces the hands of environmental scientist Dr. Ganesh, U.S. President Compson, and his entire Cabinet to aid him in averting the disaster. But even after hours of deliberating, the group is unable to find a solution. So they do something that no other politician has ever dared to attempt: cover it up. Digger suggests deploying the firewall, a network security device that allows the government to wipe away all mentions or words from all forms of communications. Nothing our real government would ever do, of course.
Just as we’ve settled into the plot, ready for a political satire on the mega wealthy and climate change, the movie sweeps the rug from underneath our feet. As Digger and President Compson discuss their plans in a greenroom, a gust of wind suddenly blows a tree over. Except the tree doesn’t fall. It tilts at a perfect 90 degree angle and suddenly the ground opens like a hatch to reveal a giant hand that scoops up the misfallen tree. The entire scene breaks down: blinding studio lights click on, walls split open, the characters drop their act, and the movie we thought we were watching is actually a dress rehearsal for Fossil Fools, a wildly popular theatre production celebrating 20 years.
Fossil Fools’s star, Curtis Markson who plays Digger, has his own worries on top of the play’s imminent opening day: his daughter, who was on a flight to see his show, has disappeared after her plane encountered a category six hurricane. For the rest of the movie, Digger bounces between the plot of Fossil Fools and the behind the scenes rehearsal of the actors and producers. Director Hannah clashes with Curtis’ insecurities as an actor, and mysterious producer Kenny takes a peculiar interest in Curtis while helping him locate his daughter.
Back in Digger, we witness the aftermath of the glacier’s arrival: absolute decimation of Europe. Digger and the government’s involvement in the glacier’s strike is exposed and they’re summoned by the European Parliament. Vice President Eddie, filling in for Compson who’s undergoing colon surgery for his rectal cancer, throws Digger and his company under the bus. Similarly, Ganesh asserts that not only was Digger completely aware of the methane under his ice shelf, he actively sought to cover up his tracks afterward. Backed into a corner, Digger takes the stage.
Digger, the perfect picture of American patriotism, steps out in a western, maroon suit, golden belt, and a cowboy hat atop his white hair. Even as furious boos drown out his voice, shoes are sent flying to his head, and officials lunge to attack him, Digger remains perfectly calm and unfazed. It’s in this moment that Digger Rockwell transforms from a caricature of the mega wealthy to a metatextual commentary on our own willing participation in climate change. His absolute conviction, all while fully aware of the environmental impacts of his greed, shifts into vindication as he casts a finger at the Parliament, and at us, the audience.
Do we, the people, who’ve happily enjoyed all the liberties and convenience of big oil, have any moral high ground on Digger? Digger accepts being the villain of the story, and by doing so, takes on an even more reprehensible role: the hero. Without his oil, Europe cannot rebuild itself. “And it’s you and us or you vs. us. You decide which.” (1:11:40 - 1:11:57). It’s at this moment that as viewers stew over our own accountability in climate change, the film redirects the true blame to the government and corporations again. Everything in society runs on oil and we cannot be an active participant in society without using oil. As environmentally conscious as we try to be, we as citizens have little real impact over our choice in energy because the corporations and governments behind the scene force us to rely on oil. Water power, wind power, and all the other options Digger dismissed as too expensive and insufficient have only failed to develop to their full capabilities because big oil lobbies against it and governments choose the easier option.
Digger’s speech to the parliament.
The Parliament or the general public’s reception of Digger’s speech is quickly overshadowed by a new revelation from Dr. Ganesh: another, even larger glacier shelf broke off from Antarctica and is heading for the United States. Inside that ice shelf holds years of radiation from Russian bomb testing and once it hits land, the radioactivity will wreck havoc across the country. Despite Dr. Ganesh’s warnings, Digger, Compson, and the Cabinet foolishly decide to nuke the ice shelf. Instead of the bombs destroying the glacier, it fragments the glacier into multiple pieces, each swept away by the currents and drifting towards multiple countries.
Curtis suddenly breaks character, admonishing Hannah for how the absurdity of the scene undermines the grave nature of the situation. Hannah criticizes Curtis for failing to understand how the audience finds comfort in the disaster being ridiculed. Producer Kenny steps in and reveals himself to be Kyle Rockwell, the young nephew of Digger Rockwell who’d we’d only seen in a few background scenes of Digger and his family. The final piece of the puzzle clicks into place. Fossils Fuels isn’t just a political satire criticizing the government’s responsibility in climate change, it’s the portrayal of a historical event–dramaticized for entertainment value,of course. Kenny explains he bought the rights to Fossil Fuels and produced the entire show to atone for his family’s sins. It’s his hope that through the show, he can unite the people in a public mourning of life as they once knew it, a cathartic release of their anger and pain channeled into laughter.
To me, Digger is so impactful because it doesn’t shy away from reality. It hits too close to home; the jokes are funny because they’re exactly what’s happening in the political realm today, and we, the citizens, are so helpless that all we can turn to is laughter. As the final curtain closes on Fossil Fuels, a sudden alarm announces a “Level Four Condition” outside and the audience members slip on their respirators before stepping outside. The camera pans to the outdoors, revealing the decimated society in the play is now reality. What persists through all the destruction is the beauty of art.
Director Alejandro Iñárritu paints a world that is all too possible in our current political realm. Digger offers no solution to these issues, and truth be told, I’m not sure we ever will, but his goal isn’t to incite fear or nihilism or dooming, it’s a reminder of what is important in humanity. Science fails to save society, governments are ill-equipped to make real change, businessmen rack in millions of dollars at the expense of human lives. In the wreck of society, it is theatre and art that is the symbol of hope. The citizens of Digger brave the torrentious outdoors to watch the play and it is through the solace of a performance that they find the courage to pursue another day. Perhaps there is no better tomorrow, but we can find consolation in the now.
