Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Director: Andrew Levitas, Rialto Distribution.
“A photo is a small voice, at best, but sometimes — just sometimes — one photograph or a group of them can lure our senses into awareness.”
— W. Eugene Smith, 1974
Producer-star of Minamata Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) attempts salvation in a heartfelt look at a disaster that struck a Japanese town. It’s a laudable portrayal of a genuine call-to-action.
Minamata (screening in cinemas now) is a plainspoken, profound movie, a picture with an ‘issue’ at its heart. It’s a praiseworthy story about how steadfast journalists dedicated to truthful news can help communities to stand up to conceited corporations.
Golden Globe Award-winning Depp – as Smith – plays one of his best character roles as real-life US photojournalist W. Eugene Smith whose glory days were in World War II and the decades following, working for Life magazine.
After his celebrated days as revered war photographer, Smith had become a recluse, disconnected from society and his career. However, a secret commission from Life Magazine editor Robert Hayes (Bill Nighy) sends him to the Japanese coastal city of Minamata, which had been ravaged by mercury poisoning. That was the result of decades of gross industrial negligence by the country’s Chisso Corporation.
Smith then immerses himself in the community, documenting their efforts to live with Minamata Disease and their passionate campaign to achieve recognition from Chisso and the Japanese Government. Armed only with his trusted camera, Smith’s images from the toxic village give the disaster a heartbreaking human dimension. His initial assignment turns into a life-changing experience.
Minamata is a touching tale, salvific and demonstrative of the ability within us all to be able to make a difference in this world. This is a stirring tale of triumph over adversity.
