Director: Todd Haynes
Writers: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Mario Correa, Nathaniel Rich
Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp
Synopsis: A corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution. Based on a true story
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Dark Waters tells the story of lawyer Rob Bilott and the town of Parkersburg, WV. A local farmer Wilbur Tennant (a friend of Bilott’s grandmother) tracks down the attorney at work (a large legal firm where he defends chemical companies) and begs for help. His cattle are going crazy and dying, his land doesn’t feel right, and people are sick. Tennant convinces Bilott to investigate the landfill owned by chemical giant DuPont, located next to Tennant’s farm. What he discovers is a history of pollution and negligence going back over 50 years. Bilott makes the choice to help the farmer and the town of Parkersburg and take on one of the largest and influential chemical companies in the world.
Dark Waters is an expertly crafted whistleblower drama. Mark Ruffalo shines as attorney Rob Bilott and is obviously passionate about the role and the cause he’s fighting for. The film is inspired by true events and a 2016 New York Times article “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare” by Nathanial Rich. I have almost no negative comments about the film. Director Todd Haynes managed to make a film filled with complicated subjects- chemistry, corporate law, medical studies, EPA regulations, etc – and made it easy to watch and comprehend. That is something I consider absolutely crucial in a “true events” movie, especially about events still going on today. The film was dramatic and filled with suspense and tension even though there wasn’t a lot of “action” happening on screen. The last time a movie made its viewers this uncomfortable with water was in 1975 with the debut of Jaws. I would bet money on the opening scene of Dark Waters being an homage to Jaws. The sense of dread and foreboding they achieved was amazing given there were no monsters or real violence in the film. Everyone involved was great; cast and crew. Anne Hathaway doesn’t have a ton of screen time but managed to make an impact, Bill Camp is phenomenal as farmer Wilbur Tennant, and Bill Pullman gave one of my favorite supporting performances as feisty lawyer Harry Dietzler.
The most frustrating thing about the film is that it is almost entirely accurate. How could something so terrible happen less than three hours from me and I knew nothing about it? This court case and exposure of DuPont’s negligence has been public knowledge, covered by national news, since the late 1990s. Even today, after several major legal settlements and EPA fines, there is almost zero information online. If you go to the town of Parkersburg’s wiki page there is only one sentence on the pollution that has given tens of thousands of it’s residences chronic and terminal illnesses. “High levels of PFOA appearing to originate in landfills used by the DuPont chemical company have been noted in Parkersburg drinking water.” Rob Billot has not worked himself half to death for the world to ignore what’s going on with water contamination and pollution. He is still working today, trying to help every single person affected by DuPont’s (and other large corporations) carelessness.
I was lucky enough to see this with a Q&A with director Todd Haynes, Mark Ruffalo, and subject of the film Rob Bilott. All three men were very passionate about the project. Ruffalo was sent the New York Times article by several friends who knew he was active in similar political causes. Ruffalo then took the idea to Haynes and had the movie made in less than a year. Billot was involved the entire time, many people had cameos or appeared as extras in the film, and much of the movie was filmed at the real locations. They stated a few times that the goal of the movie was to educate audiences on a complex subject, a “50-year crime no one knew about” and make it watchable. I think they absolutely succeeded.
Overall, Dark Waters is a film that is hard to watch, it made me angry and depressed, but it also left me hopeful because it showed me people like Rob Bilott exist. It’s a great movie that I think was released at the right time. People need movies like this, especially when you feel powerless or hopeless about current events, because it will spark something to get you motivated to take on the world. I saw the movie a month ago and I am still riled up about it. Please go see it if you have the chance, support the film, and read the original article, get involved.
Overall Grade: A
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