Cleaner: Is Agnian Energy a Real Company? Is Earth Revolution a Real Activist Group?

In ‘Cleaner,’ Joey Locke and her brother Michael find themselves caught in the crossfire of a longstanding conflict between an environmental activist group, Earth Revolution, and an energy megacorporation, Agnian Energy. During a window cleaning stint at a skyscraper, Joey witnesses members from the Earth Revolution stage a terrorist attack on the building, taking high-ranking government and non-government officials hostage as they try to shine a spotlight on the alleged corruption within the ranks of Agnian. It places the protagonist in a difficult spot as she tries to survive the ordeal while also worrying about the safety of her brother. As such, the two factions play a pivotal role in the story, defining the parameters of the action-thriller movie and setting down its main players.

Agnian Energy is a Fictional Company at the Heart of the Story

For the most part, ‘Cleaner’ centers on a fictional narrative with no allusions to any specific incidents in real life. To that end, several elements within the story are created to support the exhilarating action-driven plot at the heart of the narrative. This extends to Agnian Energy, a massive corporation that purports to practice sustainable and reliable energy practices that provide the world’s energy needs in the “right” way. It is a fictional organization brought to life by scriptwriters Simon Uttley, Paul Andrew Williams, and Matthew Orton. While the company may not exist in real life, a German-based energy company named Agnion Energy shares some similarities when it comes to the names. Agnion focuses on the decentralization of Substitute Natural Gas (SNG). However, it differs from Agnian when it comes to modus operandi.

In the movie, it is shown in black-and-white terms that Agnian Energy is a corrupt institute that uses its influence and considerable wealth to strong-arm its way into obtaining its objectives. This runs contrary to how other reputable institutes conduct their business, such as the aforementioned Agnion Energy group from Germany. The creative team likely dramatized the unethical and evil tactics employed by Agnian Energy as a way to fuel the central conflict of the narrative, the one between the energy company and the Earth Revolution group. It also feeds into growing anxieties surrounding climate change and the alleged role played by megacorporations in exacerbating or mitigating such issues. Thus, despite the company’s narrative prominence, it is a fictional entity drawn from the imagination of the writers.

Earth Revolution is an Activist Group With No Ties to Reality

While Agnian Energy presents one side of the conflict in ‘Cleaner,’ the environmental activist group Earth Revolution defines the other side. It is a fictional entity crafted by Simon Uttley, Paul Andrew Williams, and Matthew Orton. On a cursory level, the principles driving Earth Revolution vaguely parallel real-world environmental groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Friends of the Earth, and Greenpeace UK. However, unlike Earth Revolution, these organizations employ non-violent tactics when demonstrating or protesting for their cause. As such, it differentiates them from the fictional group in the film. The writing team may have taken loose inspiration where necessary while also dramatizing to a large extent to make the narrative more aligned with the genre conventions of an action story.

As the narrative progresses, it becomes evident that Earth Revolution has no qualms about taking a violent approach to their game. This causes a civil war within their ranks, eventually leading to a change in leadership. The group metamorphosizes from an inherently ideal-driven entity to a more malevolent force driven by one individual’s plans. It shows how a seemingly noble idea can give way to extremism and increasingly violent actions. As a result, Joey is forced to play a more active role in the conflict, even going so far as to risk her life in defusing the situation so that human lives can be preserved. Therefore, the Earth Revolution has an integral effect on the majority of the narrative, even though it remains fictional by conception.