In director Todd Haynes’ Dark Waters, attorney Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) reluctantly picks a fight with the largest chemical company in the world, Dupont. Dubious at first, Bilott goes all in after he sees the devastation some unknown agent is doing to the animals on the farm of family friend Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp). Over time, the animals have developed deformities and unexplained diseases, including cancer and madness.
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Moved by Tennant’s plight, Bilott brings his law firm Taft on board by convincing the managing partner Tom Terp (Tim Robbins) that his inquiry into the company would be surgical. Terp, Taft, and every law firm in the state are hesitant to get involved as many have ties to the deep-pocketed Dupont. It’s even insinuated that Bilott’s wife, Sarah Bilott (Anne Hathaway) may have connections to the company.
After some early success in proving that Dupont was liable for allowing the “forever chemical” PFOA/C8 to leak into the community’s air, soil, and water supply, Bilott is convinced the conspiracy goes deeper and pushes further into the company’s most safely guarded secrets about its Teflon product.
In Dark Waters, Dupont appears to have knowingly broken its own safety regulations, which act as the only safeguard against the chemical since the EPA had not yet published a position on the compound. What follows is a grueling 20 year legal battle in which Bilott, who is underpaid and obsessed with justice, is pushed to the brink.
After suffering from what is described as a “neurological” attack, Bilott begins to experience tremors and significant stress-induced medical issues. As Billott’s bills pile up, his wife, while loyal and supportive, also begins to crack after 13 years of litigation. There is no question: Dupont wants Bilott and Taft to break.
Dark Waters obscure a hidden gem
Released in 2019, 20 years after Taft filed its first motion against Dupont, Dark Waters takes viewers down a decades-long legal rabbit hole, chronicling the Dupont case as it makes its way from the rural areas of West Virginia to Taft’s boardroom and all the way to the courthouse.
Because the events of the film take place over decades and deal with weighty subject matter, Dark Waters has the potentiality to feel slow or bogged down. But that doesn’t happen here. Instead the film sets an incredible pace that adds new information and conflict at every turn. Which is not to say that the film is overly dramatized. Definitely not; the audience never feels as though they’re being led down some frivolous path for the sake of adding drama.
Real-life events do much of the effective plotting and conflict creation for the writers: Dupont knew about these chemicals, tried to cover it up, and Bilott is the only thing that stands in their way.
And the performances are spot-on with the cast nailing nuanced portrayals of real-life everyday Americans whose lives were fatally altered by their association with or proximity to corporate giant Dupont.
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The David vs. Goliath struggle alone is enough to capitvate viewers and earn a spot in streaming queues. Bilott doesn’t blink in his battle against Dupont, a corporate giant with the capability to rig government commissions, influence elected officials and the community, and keep Bilott drowning in legal filings for decades.
And yet he persists. He must. After witnessing how PFOA/C8 has impacted not only the employees of Dupont but also anyone in proximity to its dump sites, Bilott can’t do anything but demand accountability from Dupont. It’s a high-stakes pursuit that takes emotional and physical tolls on the lawyer. Bilott’s commitment is part of the reason why the film is so powerful. Undeterred by the hardships he faces, Bilott never waivers, even when he believes his life may be in danger.
It’s a story of grit, corporate misbehavior, and resilience in the face of it all. Throughout it all, Bilott stays the course, no matter how dark the water gets.
Dark Waters is streaming now on Amazon Prime and Peacock.
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