Directed by Todd Haynes
Written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Mario Correa (screenplay) and Nathaniel Rich (magazine article story is based on)
Starring Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Pullman
Running time 2 hours, 6 minutes
MPAA Rating PG-13

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport

“We got the cancer.” Ta-dah. ✨

This holiday season, don't forget to give thanks to our wonderful companies for all the great things they have gifted us: cancer, a polluted environment, new identities, radioactive oatmeal and oh yea, prime shipping.

Over the years, companies have literally gotten away with murder. This is exactly the focus of the most recent Todd Haynes’ flick, Dark Waters. Based on a 2016 magazine article by Nathaniel Rich that ran in The New York Times Magazine entitled “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare” the two hour and six minute flick tells the story of the DuPont company knowingly poisoned people in the name of profits and the persistent lawyer, Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) who became a thorn in their side.

I believe the first time I realized that companies could be harmful was when I watched the film Peggy Sue Got Married. It was probably around 1989 that I first watched this flick and it has always stuck with me. In this movie, Peggy Sue (Kathleen Turner) passes out at her 1985 high school reunion and, while in a coma, is sent back in time to 1960. There is a scene in which she warns her sister not to eat the red M&Ms candy. This was due to the hard candy shelled chocolate later being discontinued in the seventies after it was found that the red dye may be a carcinogen. Sometime in the late eighties, the red M&Ms were placed back on the market with a new dye being utilized. I still recall asking my mom if this was real… I couldn’t fathom that a company would knowingly keep something on the market that is suspect. In looking into the situation further, I learned that it took five years after the study was performed for the company to take action and this was only after they were ordered to do so by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

My point in sharing this memory is to say that companies have never had our true interest in mind, instead it has always been the bottom line… the profits. For me, watching Dark Waters was more of a reminder of this. I didn’t find myself surprised that a company would continue to manufacture a chemical (Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, also known as C8)) even after testing proved that it was harmful to humans. It also wasn’t shocking that this said chemical was then utilized in various household products from non-stick pans (known as Teflon) to carpets, despite there being known detrimental effects, even to the unborn. All of this makes sense for a company, such as DuPont. This is the same company that thought it was perfectly fine to experiment on their own employees, causing many to acquire serious illnesses or die.

The saddest, or should I say scariest, part of this entire saga is that the evil people behind these decisions not only profit off death, but they get away with it too. There is a scene in this movie that I imagine will be rather heartbreaking to some and to others they will find themselves saying, “Yep, sounds about right.” Mark Ruffalo, who gives an exceptionally excellent performance as the attorney Robert Bilot, realizes that there is no real “winning” when you take on a massive corporation that has the government on its side. For, the money said company may be deemed to pay out to those that have lost it is not even a fraction of the profits they are set to make. Also by having the government in your pocket, these companies can take all the time in the world.

Robert Bilot, probably never expected that after visiting a small farmer and some sick cows as a courtesy to his grandmother that it would inevitably cost him twenty years of his life and become the focus of his career. As a corporate defense attorney, he not only found himself on the other side of the fence, but inevitably became a crusader that relentlessly fought “the man” and became a champion for the little guy. In watching this film play out, I was impressed by Todd Haynes’ ability to take the viewer from 1975 all the way to 2015 so effortlessly. This film covers a lot of ground, but unfortunately you don’t really get to know any other key players involved. I must note, though, that I did enjoy Bill Pullman’s off the rocker portrayal as a West Virginia trial lawyer that possibly had falsies. The false teeth make sense, though, after learning about the drinking water. There are also several hollow scenes with Bilot’s wife played by Anne Hathaway. She more or less comes off as nagging spouse, upset over Bilot’s obsessive nature and the lack of time spent with family. This story is not about their family though. So it is understandable why Anne’s character becomes a trivial afterthought. One can only do so much with what is written on the page.

Unfortunately, as these tales often end, the company (to do this day in fact) still produces the toxic chemical. This movie managed to not only make me question what Benjamin (my partner in crime) is cooking my omelet in, but it also enlightened me to the fact that one can tell a lot from a person’s teeth. Sure, the poor condition could be caused by lack of health insurance (I’ve totally been there) or maybe it was just another gift from our wonderful companies.