Darks Waters is based on the 20 years real-life story of Robert Bilott’s legal pursuit of DuPont environmental and health coverups. This is essentially a legal thriller based on an article written in The New York Times Magazine and Robert’s memoir, Exposure.
Farmer Wilbur Tennan turns up at Robert’s office asking for legal help. He’s from the same home town, so Robert drives out and is mortified to discover the devastation to his cows.
Although he usually defends the chemical companies, Robert takes on the case and promises his boss it’ll be quick and off the books within a year.
DuPont attempts to bury Robert in paperwork and sends over hundreds and hundreds of boxes. It’s at this point, you realise that Robert isn’t your typical lawyer and many would have caved at this point.
Robert discovers references to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA-C8), which was used to manufacture Teflon and other products. Unfortunately, during this time period, there was no standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency in America, and companies were expected to self-regulate.
The legal case has larger ramifications. When one person’s not in my backyard (NIMBY) feeds into the communities’ river, you realise there is ‘no away’ for dangerous toxic chemicals.
Dark Waters is this generation’s Silent Spring.
Darks Waters will make you want to go home, rip up your carpets and throw your non-stick pans in the rubbish and swap to a water flosser.
5 stars
About Dark Waters
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp, Victor Garber, Mare Winningham, William Jackson Harper, Bill Pullman
Director: Todd Haynes
Writers: Mario Correa and Matthew Michael Carnahan
Producers: Mark Ruffalo, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon
Inspired by a shocking true story, a tenacious attorney (Ruffalo) 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.
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