March
17
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DARK WATERS (12A)
DARK WATERS (12A)
Run time: 127 MINS
Todd Haynes
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp, Victor Garber, Mare Winningham, William Jackson Harper, Bill Pullman
Synopsis: Inspired by a shocking true story, a tenacious attorney uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths due to one of the world’s largest corporations. In the process, he risks everything – his future, his family, and his own life – to expose the truth.
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYbNONsH2ck
Directed by Todd Haynes [Carol (2015), I’m Not There (2007), Far from Heaven (2002)] and written by Mario Correa and Matthew Michael Carnahan, Dark Waters powerfully relays a real-life tale of gross corporate malfeasance, honouring the victims and laying the blame squarely at the feet of the perpetrators Du Pont .
This docu-drama style film dramatises how Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo), a lawyer who initially worked as a defence attorney for corporations, instead took DuPont to court for their release of deadly toxic chemicals.
With a top-class cast, including Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp, Victor Garber, Mare Winningham, William Jackson Harper, and Bill Pullman, this meticulously told film is disturbingly relevant and far from a conventional David versus Goliath tale. Faithful to the true, dark story, Robert Bilott’s investigation took him over twenty years to complete, nearly killing him in the process and deeply affecting his relationship with his wife, a former attorney played by Anne Hathaway, and his son.
Dark Waters is grim and unforgettable, especially since some of the real victims appear in the film. The disturbing coda informs us that these chemicals are in all of us, especially C8 (PFOA), derived from The Manhattan Project because DuPont used one of the most toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in everything from cooking products to paint. It is estimated that 99% of all humans have it in their systems.
Th film is a fitting tribute to Robert Bilott, who heroically called to account the chemical manufacturing corporation DuPont, after their contamination of a town with unregulated chemicals.
Images courtesy of: ENTERTAINMENT ONE UK
