Currents Fall 2020 Vol 36, No. III | Page 39

its formulaic scenes while plucking a few heartstrings as background music. Eventually, singing leads to performing which leads to a dramatic performance by the choir at Royal Albert Hall. Kristen Scott Thomas gives a masterful portrayal of deep compassion with a British “stiff upper lip.” And there are some beautiful voices in the mix. Enjoy the performances but bring your tissues! (Mary Wienke) The actors make the best of a weak script based on the true story behind the start of a military wives’ choir. There is real camaraderie and, at times, heartbreaking emotion. Dark Waters (Vergiftete Wahrheit) ***** UK 2020 Opening October 8, 2020 Directed by: Todd Haynes Writing credits: Nathaniel Rich, Mario Correa, Matthew Michael Carnahan Principal actors: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Pullman, Bill Camp In 1998, farmer Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp) drives 130 miles (209 km) from Parkersburg, West Virginia, to Cincinnati, Ohio, with his brother (Jim Azelvandre) to force a meeting. They know this lawyer’s grandma; eventually the lawyer, Rob Bilott, (Mark Ruffalo) sees them. Wilbur wants Rob to look into his cattle’s unexplained deaths, which he has connected to the giant chemical manufacturer DuPont. When Rob—a corporate defense lawyer—hesitates, Wilbur thrusts a box of VHS cassettes at him and storms out. Thus begins Dark Waters, which is based on, unfortunately, irrefutable facts. Most unsettling is DuPont’s unbridled malfeasance and that the chemical (PFOA [C-8], part of the PFAS family) is still used, hence still affecting the worldwide community. This timely corporate cover-up thriller’s relevancy is universally valuable. Director Todd Haynes concentrates on salient points along Rob Bilott’s long journey following the farmers’ visit. Haynes expressively and cohesively balances how Bilott’s— brilliantly portrayed by Ruffalo—duties to his family and clients are tested. Mario Correa and Matthew Michael Carnahan developed details from Nathaniel Rich’s 2016 New York Times Magazine article, Sharon Lerner’s series in The Intercept, a 2015 article by Mariah Blake, and Bilott’s book Exposure into a deliberate, compelling screenplay. For example, when Rob explains to wife Sarah (Anne Hathaway) about C-8’s wide-ranging, deadly effects and DuPont’s culpability, editor Affonso Gonçalves helps audiences understanding with enlighteningly structured, scathingly riveting sequence(s). Production values are impeccable: Edward Lachman’s cinematography, Marcelo Zarvos’s music, Hannah Beachler’s production design, et cetera. Ruffalo’s facial and vocal nuances depict Bilott’s increased inner turmoil while uncovering further subterfuge. The stellar cast includes: Hathaway’s well-gauged wifely emotive range; Camp’s perceptive, prescient farmer; Tim Robbins, great as the law firm’s managing partner whose moral courage greenlights Bilott’s crusade; Victor Garber as DuPont’s icy attorney; Bill Pullman as the sharp personal injury lawyer guiding Bilott; and Mare Winningham and Richard Hagerman as the dauntless Kiger plaintiffs. These are but a few, plus hometown cast shown prior to end credits. Dark Waters’ deep dive into corporate cover-ups penetrates public trust. The villain PFOA (C-8) is one of many toxic manmade chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that contain carbon-fluorine chemical bonds. Developed during wartime and repurposed for profits, PFOA is used in industrial and consumer production, e.g., Teflon. PFOA and other PFAS are unregulated by the US federal government, although contamination to the environment and living creatures’ health systems (globally) is detrimental. Does its resilience outweigh its misuse? Consider, ironically, that 99% of Americans have PFAS in their blood. Paradoxically, citizens seem indifferent and culturally tolerant toward corporate polluters continuing horrific practices—consider Flint, Michigan, Hinkley, California, et cetera. In Dark Waters, we feel the community’s despair, isolation, and, with realization, betrayal. “[T]he system’s rigged…we protect us,” clarified Billot, still fighting corporate polluters 27 years on. Community action and activism is imperative. As this global COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates, either we take care of Mother Nature or she will take care of herself. 126 minutes (Marinell Haegelin) www.awchamburg.org 39