Dark Waters Resurrected

by Linda Winsh-Bolard


Mirroring its title, Todd Hayden's directed "Dark Waters" is a dark, human drama rarely made in today's corporations led studios.

Released in 2019, it was originally perceived to be a flop.
Re-released for streaming, it rose from ashes, or water, of changed world and soared.

In 1998 Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp), a farmer in Parkersburg, West Virginia, devastated by the loss of his livestock, infuriated by local indifference and possible complicity in what he sees as poisoning of his land by DuPont, finds an unwilling helper, a corporate attorney Rob Billet (Marc Ruffalo).

Rob Billet works for a legal firm representing DuPont and the film follows his transformation from a corporate lawyer to an attorney for cause, along with the tragic story of Tennant and the town that DuPont poisoned.

We see the people, on both sides, much as Billet would have seen them, discover what he is discovering, watch him disbelieve, despair and be disbelieved.
We watch DuPont wage incredible power, unlimited money and complete shamelessness when faced with the human cost of their profits. PFOA is used in production of Teflon.
It took nearly two decades to get the first verdict.
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Todd Hayden's film employs none of the sexiness of Erin Brockovich and her trajectory from poor unknown to fame and money. Anne Hathaway, playing Billet's wife, is the single Hollywood pretty star. Her part, and performance, are also the weakest. Sarah is the supportive but worried wife; I was left wondering, why would a woman with a law degree behave in 2000s as housewives were behaving in the 50s.Tim Robbins plays Bilott's supervisor at Taft's, Thomas Terp, a reluctant supporter, who in real life said that it was worth it. Bill Pullman' s Harry Dreizler, an environmental attorney working with Billot, is a pleasure to watch and Victor Garber, as the DuPont executive Phil Donnelly, is utterly convincing. Real people filled some of the background roles, portraying themselves. There is a lot of untapped talent in West Virginia.

The story is based on real people and real cause. PFOA is used in manufacturing even today. When the film came out, Time published an article with this line: "According to one analyst, the film’s potential to raise awareness about these issues could have a serious effect on some chemical companies’ bottom lines."

Predictably, the film was killed by majority of critics. Corporate arms are very long. Even so, the film made twice what it cost. Covid 19 changed attitudes, by the end of 2020, critics were singing praises to Dark Waters.
Perhaps one day we will see a film about how Hayden got his Dark Waters made and released.

The film is well worth seeing. It flows seamlessly, never bores and remains utterly human.

In 2022 Wilbur Tennant would need more than an aunt to get any attorney interested. Attorney's left single people fighting corporation far behind. No one is taking on cases lasting decades and costing millions, while the defendants cannot even pay the fees.
Yet, like beacon from the past, Rob Billet is still at it.
Stream yourself a memory of different America.