Dark Waters tells the story of a lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) who works as a corporate defence attorney, defending chemical companies, but who takes the side of a farmer from his home town who claims his animals are being poisoned by the Dupont chemical company. Through his investigation he uncovers a scandal that goes far beyond this farm. Directed by Todd Haynes.
Dark Waters is a film with a high level of dread throughout, there is always this feeling that something is wrong, but you can’t quite always see it, which is reflected in the way that the people are being poisoned by their water without knowing it. The lighting and direction go a long way to help create this atmosphere.
It is a film which leaves you feeling angry, but not at the film itself, but at chemical companies and how corporate greed has put ordinary peoples lives at risk. There is a shocking statistic at the end of the film that PFOA or C8, the chemical used in making Teflon, which was causing the poisoning, is present in the blood of 99% of all humans as well as animals. This makes this a film which affects everyone and which everyone should know about.
I would highly recommend seeing Dark Waters, it is not absolutely perfect, but it has a powerful, important message, which is really well explained. The direction is excellent, the acting is excellent and the screenplay does a good job of ensuring the audience understands the message and takes home what a terrible thing these chemical companies have done and continue to do today. 4 Stars.
Movie Night 