As an uninformed Canadian twenty-something, I know very little about the history behind the collapse of the Soviet Union, and I know even less about its seemingly cataclysmic results. What was once a strong and united nation has crumbled, leaving the daunting task of the independent self re-assembling of nations that must now survive on their own. Power Trip takes a look at Tbilisi, the capital of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia and its struggle to maintain order and a normal way of life. But one of the first, and most important, steps towards normality is power. Electricity, to be precise. A necessity that we may take for granted, much to the chagrin of the citizens of Tbilisi.

Piers Lewis, manager of one of the world’s leading power companies, arrived in Tbilisi with one job, to convince the public to pay for their electricity. As it stands, the former communist community has gone ahead and rigged some pretty intricate, although terribly dangerous, wiring across telephone poles, through backyards and up the sides of buildings. When they can’t afford to pay for power, they take it upon themselves to solve the problem, stealing whatever electricity they can re-route into their homes. It’s a common practice, seeing as the majority of the population simply can’t afford to pay for their power due to the high costs clashing with their low living wages. It’s a temporary solution that ultimately adds up to a giant step backwards in an attempt to attain the goal of affordable electricity. It’s a sort of catch 22. Electricity is too expensive, so the people steal it…which in turn raises the costs of electricity for the small amount of people who are actually paying for it. It’s a seemingly impossible task set out for Lewis.

Although the story is pretty interesting, Power Trip juts didn’t grab me as much as I’d expected it to. Perhaps the quotes on the box describing the film as ‘comedic’ and ‘darkly funny’ had my expectations sitting in the wrong place. One thing I will agree with is the absurdity of the stand-off between the cynical citizens of Tbilisi and the capitalist Western energy company. It almost works against it, giving the audience a look at a problem that we know isn’t going to find a resolution by the end of the films 85 minutes. And unfortunately, I simply didn’t retain any interest that might send me googling ‘Tbilisi Energy Crisis Resolution’. The film is well put together, and I’m sure there’s a big audience out there that will in fact find it darkly funny and suspenseful. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m one of them.