30 | New Scientist | 22 February 2020
Film
Dark Waters
Directed by Todd Haynes
UK cinemas, 28 February“WHAT would happen if you
drank it?” asks lawyer Robert
Bilott in the movie Dark Waters,
about an unregulated chemical
he has found listed in documents
belonging to one of the highest
profile chemical companies in
the US. “That’s like saying, ‘What
if you swallowed a tyre?’” chuckles
the scientist he is asking, as if no
one would ever consume it.
Except people have. In this
dramatised version of a true story,
it is 1998. Bilott (played by Mark
Ruffalo) is a partner at a law firm
in Cincinnati, Ohio, known for
defending chemical companies.
A West Virginia farmer, who lives
in the same small town as Bilott’s
grandmother, asks him for help.
DuPont, the behemoth behind
Teflon, bought some of the farm’s
land years ago so it could create
a landfill site for chemical waste
from its nearby factory. Since
then, says the farmer, nearly
200 cows have died. No one
in Parkersburg will help.
They are all afraid of DuPont.
At first, Bilott declines. Then he
sees the depleted grasslands, the
lake covered in a putrid scum, a
raving, tumour-ridden cow, and
he files a small lawsuit on behalf
of the farmer, and gains access
to DuPont’s files. And, as he
recalls the black teeth of a child
riding her bike in Parkersburg,
he realises with horror that
residents have also been affected.
The lawsuit gradually grows
into a class action. Bilott loses
money and his health, and nearly
his family and job. Ruffalo plays
Bilott with calm bewilderment:
dogged, aghast, egoless.Taking on a chemical Goliath
Dead cows, people getting sick... Dark Waters follows a lawyer’s fight for
environmental justice for a town afflicted by pollution, says Francesca SteeleThe New York Times article on
which Dark Waters is based called
Bilott “the lawyer who became
DuPont’s worst nightmare”. Even
though he is a successful lawyer,
when it comes to chemistry
he is a self-confessed dunce.
This is useful, because it allows
a scientist to explain to Bilott thecomplex chemical compound
used that drives the plot in
a way we can all understand.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA),
also known as C8, was used in
Teflon and found everywhere
from non-stick frying pans to
carpets. It is a “forever chemical”,
a substance that stays in the
environment, well, forever.
Director Todd Haynes, who
directed delicate love story Carol,Views Culture
FO
CUS^ FEA
TURE
Sallows the film’s power to grow
slowly, like the case, frustrating
our hopes and increasing its final
impact. It was 1998 when Bilott
began. It was 2017 when DuPont
finally settled what had become
more than 3550 personal injury
claims, for $671 million, but
denied any wrongdoing.
Real-life implications of this
David and Goliath case continue
to emerge: the US environmental
watchdog recently reported that
levels of contamination in US
drinking water are far higher than
previously thought, and PFOA,
although phased out in most
Western manufacturing, remains
present in 99 per cent of life on
Earth. This film is a must-watch.
Non-stick frying pans will never
look the same again. ❚Francesca Steele is a writer
and critic based in Londonstarring Cate Blanchett, deploys
discretion here, too. Dark Waters
may market itself as a legal
thriller, but it is uninterested in
sensationalism, almost obtusely
so. Blink and you can miss crucial
evidence. Bilott pores over piles of
obfuscating papers and witness
statements as the horrors stack up.
DuPont documents point to
some degree of knowledge about
C8’s toxicity. The firm removed
pregnant women from factory
work after babies were born
deformed. It did tests on rats
who got cancer. Yet it didn’t
stop using the chemical.
The film is measured, without
gotcha moments. One scene in
which Bilott chats to his wife,
played by Anne Hathaway, is
filmed to show only the back of
her head throughout, as if to insist
that she isn’t the point. Bilott is the
point. The hard work is the point.
The realism can feel hard going.
This is a less sexy film than, say,
Erin Brockovich, even though they
share plot similarities. But realismMark Ruffalo as lawyer
Robert Bilott in an
egoless battle for justice“ The chemical is phased
out in most Western
manufacturing, but it
is still present in 99 per
cent of life on Earth”