During this time when we all are questioning everything - the pandemic, social injustice, the disparity between the wealthy and the rest of us, the legal system, media information, environmental changes and so forth - along comes a brave film that substantially offers a sense of hope and positive change. Based on a true event as portrayed by Nathaniel Rich in a New York Times magazine article and adapted for the screen by Mario Correa and Matthew Michael Carnahan, this power play as unwound by a humble lawyer is obviously an important statement that captured the interest and commitment of Producer/Actor Mark Ruffalo. The result is an impressive film that is a wake-up call for many issues. Todd Haynes directs with sensitivity and authority.
Very briefly, Rob Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) is a new lawyer who signs on with major law firm headed by Tom Terp (Tim Robbins) and almost immediately is called into the service of a farmer (Bill Camp) in West Virginia (because of a relationship with his grandmother) and slowly discovers the terror of Teflon (the source of the C-8 chemical that threatens health) which has been secretly dumped by the maker DuPont at their factory site in West Virginia. The discovery process is slow, but as Bilott pursues the truth he is nearly submerged by the power of a big corporation able to deny and then elude the consequences of the tragedy. In the end it is the fortitude and passion of Bilott (aided by his firm and his wife (Anne Hathaway) that ultimately brings justice for the health-affected people of West Virginia over the course of twenty years from beginning to end!
The cast is large and consistently excellent, including some of the actual people of the town of Parkersburg, WV. Mark Ruffalo delivers a staggeringly fine performance, and the additional elements at film's end underline his commitment to the story and the importance of telling that story. This is both a fine film and an important social document, one that should be seen by everyone. Grady Harp, November 20
Very briefly, Rob Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) is a new lawyer who signs on with major law firm headed by Tom Terp (Tim Robbins) and almost immediately is called into the service of a farmer (Bill Camp) in West Virginia (because of a relationship with his grandmother) and slowly discovers the terror of Teflon (the source of the C-8 chemical that threatens health) which has been secretly dumped by the maker DuPont at their factory site in West Virginia. The discovery process is slow, but as Bilott pursues the truth he is nearly submerged by the power of a big corporation able to deny and then elude the consequences of the tragedy. In the end it is the fortitude and passion of Bilott (aided by his firm and his wife (Anne Hathaway) that ultimately brings justice for the health-affected people of West Virginia over the course of twenty years from beginning to end!
The cast is large and consistently excellent, including some of the actual people of the town of Parkersburg, WV. Mark Ruffalo delivers a staggeringly fine performance, and the additional elements at film's end underline his commitment to the story and the importance of telling that story. This is both a fine film and an important social document, one that should be seen by everyone. Grady Harp, November 20