Dark Waters: A True Thriller Everyone Should See

 Dark Waters: A True Thriller Everyone Should See

I try not to make recommendations for different films lightly. Whenever I see a really great film, no matter what it’s about, I have to think about whether or not the film is worth seeing from a broad perspective, or for people looking for a specific story. Todd Haynes’ 2019 film Dark Waters, however, proves that there is an exception to every rule. Because this is a film that everyone should see. Not only because it’s a true story that remains accurate to the reality of everything that transpired in parallel to real life, but also because this is the scariest film I’ve ever seen. There has never been a more horrifying, paranoia-infused movie than this. My heart was beating fast throughout the final half of the film, resonating with me in ways very few films ever have, perhaps for the first time in years. If that description doesn’t sound like the kind of film you’d like to watch, I implore you to think otherwise. Because Dark Waters utilizes film as an entertainment medium through its unique ability to inform the audience about a history that continues to impact them to this day.

The film begins in 1999, with corporate defense lawyer Robert Bilott—played by Mark Ruffalo—receiving a visit from Wilbur Tennant, a cattle farmer from West Virginia who wants Bilott to represent him in court over the mysterious deaths of his animals. Tennant has personally made a connection between his animals dying and DuPont, an American company specializing in chemical manufacturing. At first Bilott is dubious about this connection as well as Tennant’s reliability. After all, DuPont is one of his firm’s clients, so he has ample reason not to try and start a fight with them. However, once he sees the damage done to Tennant’s property and a stack of video tapes showing how the dead animals appear to rot themselves to death, Bilott begins to investigate DuPont and their possible connections to the case. His case against DuPont spans multiple years as the investigation complicates, all thanks to a strange, unregulated chemical known as PFOA. And as all things do, the film begins to spiral into something bigger as it goes on.

What’s most terrifying about Dark Waters are the parts of it I can’t talk about, as doing so would risk spoiling the film if you don’t know about DuPont and the practices they utilized in order to make money while seemingly poisoning the entire world in the process. Instead, I feel it is important to highlight the presentation of the film itself. While dramatic in some areas and taking artistic liberties with the specific arguments and conversations presented therein, the film does a fantastic job at informing the public while also creating a gripping thriller full of believable—and real—characters. Ruffalo’s is not the only standout performance in the movie. Bill Camp steals the show in almost every scene he’s in as Wilbur Tennant, offering up a believable, moving performance as he desperately tries to fight against DuPont for the sake of his farm and his family. Some of the most infuriating, and even sou-crushing scenes in the film happen when he’s on camera, and he manages to grab your attention every single time. Every actor in this film poured their souls into what they were doing, which only helped to strengthen the informative message of the movie while making us root for the people trying to take DuPont down.

The technical aspects of the film also work to its advantage. While it isn’t anything special or unique, the cinematography lends to the film’s ability to be both dramatic and informative all at once. There is a wide shot in particular that stands out roughly halfway through the film as Bilott begins to put everything together. The stress and realization in the way he moves is accentuated by the wide shot of the room he’s in, a room where the evidence of DuPont’s crimes against humanity have been revealed to him. The camera’s positioning makes him small in the face of so much evidence: He is but a speck compared to the incredible power DuPont has over the world. And the world is so small that they don’t even notice it. This is enhanced by a blueish filter that’s over the entire film, making everything feel grounded in a dark truth only accentuated by the chosen tint of the view. The camera becomes a view of the world through which one knows the truth of DuPont, and this is only accentuated by the aforementioned presentation and acting.

What makes Dark Waters so unique and why everyone should see the film is because it isn’t just a story about an underdog lawyer going up against a massive company that wronged a farmer. Robert Bilott exists and still practices law. Wilbur Tennant was a real person. DuPont is a real company (although in technical terms they are no longer the same DuPont they used to be; under the same name they’ve merged with Dow Chemical and have three publicly traded companies: Corteva, Dow Inc. and DuPont). And what DuPont did to poison not only Tennant’s farm animals, but also the entire world, is put on full display in this movie. The film does not hold back any punches, informing the public through the use of entertainment and by presenting to the world every truth about DuPont they may not be aware of. This film isn’t just good; it’s important. Because the content of the movie and the history it portrays impacts every single one of us.

But if you’re not going to watch the film, at the very least throw away your non-stick pans.

Dark Waters gets my highest recommendation. Not only does it display an event of great importance to the entire world, but it does so with care, tact, and filmic maturity that serves to bolster its informative elements. It places the blame of everything DuPont did right on their doorstep, which is probably why the veiled threat of a lawsuit came to the creators after the film was released (although at this time there does not appear to be a lawsuit between DuPont and the creators of Dark Waters; take that information as you will). This film is stressful, rage-inducing, and at times very hard to watch. But it’s an important movie that everyone should see, if not for the actual performances and filmic quality, then at the very least for the way in which the information about DuPont is presented. The film can be found on Showtime, which you can get through Hulu, Amazon Prime, or just through a regular subscription. Any way you can watch this film is the way you should. It will scare you, as it should.

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