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Every day, scientists and engineers work on products that will make our lives easier. But, in the process of making our lives easier, companies sometimes create different problems—like health concerns or environmental concerns. Dark Waters tells the true story of one man who’s fighting to hold those companies accountable.
Dark Waters follows corporate defense attorney Rob Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) as he works a case that goes against everything that his firm typically fights for. Rob and his colleagues work to defend big chemical companies, but then Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp), a farmer from West Virginia, shows up at Rob’s office to accuse his local DuPont plant of dumping hazardous chemicals that have been killing his cows. The evidence is definitely disturbing—and as Rob digs through decades of documents and studies, his findings cause him to decide to fight to expose the company’s history of pollution.
The story that unfolds here is both horrifying and fascinating. One visit to his family’s hometown of Parkersburg, West Virginia, tells Rob that something’s not right. And while it would have been easy to back down from the fight—to protect his career, his reputation, and his health and safety—he chooses to take a case that no one else dares to take on, working through every obstacle that a big business can throw at one little guy. Mark Ruffalo handles the role perfectly, giving his performance as this unsung hero both heart and passion—and he’s surrounded by a solid cast of lawyers and businessmen and small-town characters who work together to bring this eye-opening story to life.
Admittedly, there’s a lot of jargon here that you may not understand, and the process is long and drawn out. You may not understand the chemical makeup of PFOA or how the chemical companies were able to make their own rules to keep the EPA off their case. But the results of the years of experiments and testing and settlements and cover-ups are blatantly, terribly obvious. These real-life horrors often make the film difficult to watch. It’s shocking and frightening. And the reality of it all may leave you feeling physically ill—not to mention suspicious of everyday household items.
It may not be an action-packed, big-budget kind of thriller, but Dark Waters is gripping nonetheless. It tells an inspiring story of one of the little guys who refused to back down—who saw injustice and set out to make it right.
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