Talkie Zoo: WIEBO'S WAR

Wiebos' War (2011) is the story of Wiebo Ludwig and his large family, plus like-minded friends, who live a secluded life in Canada. They live by the Christian values they find in the Bible, are almost completely self-sufficient, and have a peaceful existence. At least it was peaceful until the oil and natural gas industry came along and discovered valuable natural gas under their land. That's when the war began.

Not a war in the traditional sense, but a battle of wills between Wiebo and the big business that sought to make his life miserable while setting up rigs within sight of his borders. He was convicted of blowing up some of the pipelines years ago, after so many miscarriages and still births among his followers, plus livestock deaths, miscarriages, and still births, following a noxious gas that poisoned the air and water on his large farm. The authorities contended he was a terrorist and did nothing to help his plight, so he took matters into his own hands.

20 years of fighting the system, multiple legal searches for weapons and dynamite, and even a covert spy sent in to act like he was a part of the Christian community failed to actually produce any evidence of wrong-doing by this family.

The film makers went in as non-believers, and probably thought this was a very dangerous group. At the end of it all, they were siding with the Ludwigs, based on investigations and film documentation the Ludwigs were careful to make.

It's a different take on what many would consider to be a cult, and you may find yourself surprised by the opinions you come away with if you view this film.