Directed by Andrew Levitas
Written by Andrew Levitas, Stephen Deuters, and David Kessler
Starring Johnny Depp, Minami, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ryo Kase
Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
MPAA Rating: R for language throughout
Available in select theaters February 11 and available digitallly and on demand this spring

by Jenna Kuerzi, Contributor

Minamata is a movie that has been sitting on the shelf for years. A small release with a troubled star in an “art imitates life” moment as a burnout photographer. But here it is! At long last! Minamata! Opening to mild reception and a modest box office, it probably won’t get any fanfare, but it is a decent film.

W. Eugene Smith (Johnny Depp) is a photographer for Life Magazine. Well, kind of. He’s pissed off his editor (Bill Nighy) and is now living a reclusive life in an apartment/darkroom in a shady part of NYC. He drinks all day and all night and doesn’t seem to have many prospects, until a Japanese translator named Eileen (Minami) knocks on his door with a project pitch. She wants Eugene to come to Minamata and document a city that has been ripped apart by Mercury poisoning. The rebels (led by Hiroyuki Sanada) have been leading a rebellion against Chisso Corporation, the Company poisoning the water but also supplying most of the jobs to the community.

The subject matter is horrifying. It’s a tale that needs to be told. The people of Minamata were never given the opportunity to heal and rebuild from this moment in their history and it leads to some very depressing post-scripts before the credits roll.

There’s something to be said about seeking out American sensationalist journalism to get attention on a cause. Americans are great at sharing bad news, and Eileen was smart to come to America and get our attention on the problems Minamata is experiencing. Americans are great at disseminating tragedy.

The performances are solid. Depp seems committed in a way we haven’t seen in years. As a producer on the piece, maybe he was more invested? It feels like a story he wanted to tell and allows the tragedy space to exist beyond a white savior trope. My favorite thing about Depp, as a performer, is his ability to be an active listener. Since he spends most of the film drinking, listening to stories, and taking pictures, it allows a ton of listening and retorts that are genuinely funny. It’s nice to see after years of phoned-in performances and bad personal behavior.

While Gene/Depp is the catalyst for the movie, the victims and people of Minamata are the true stars. Ryo Kase as a documentarian afflicted by mercury poison and Akiko Iwase as a devoted caretaker are standouts. When we focus on them, the story is clear and heartbreaking. People doing the best they can with a preventative disease.

If you aren’t familiar with the subject matter, or the very famous photograph “Tomoko in her Bath”, it’s worth reading up on. It’s a shocking example of how the rich keep getting richer, and the poor are an afterthought. Corporations will kill the very people keeping the company’s daily operations running.

This film was shelved for a long time as it awaited distribution. In the middle of a pandemic, as we contemplate public safety and throw away care about the less fortunate so we can “return to normal” and rush back to work, Minamata’s vision of 1971 is striking.

People are still dying daily from preventable disease. The rich get richer from a safe distance while the poor put their lives on the line for minimum wage. Minamata feels more like a mirror to society than it would have back in 2018 or ‘19. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.