Begin typing your search...
Livestream: Crusader saga rings true, topical 18 years later
In this new segment, we look at business-themed documentaries, biopics, podcasts and TedTalks that are worth your time in the weekend
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
In the backdrop of the ongoing protests in Thoothukudi, it seemed almost imperative to dig up a biopic that lays bare the struggles of a crusader, an ordinary person at that, who is faced with seemingly insurmountable odds (read corporate malfeasance). Steven Soderbergh’s Erin Brockovich, which earned its star Julia Roberts her first Oscar, is one such powerhouse of a true story that puts into perspective the power of one. Roberts plays the titular character, a single mom to three children, unemployed, broke, potty mouthed, but sassy in spirit and courageous to a fault.Â
When she arm-twists her former lawyer, Ed Masry (played by the redoubtable Albert Finney) into giving her a job at his office, Erin stumbles upon a real estate case-file concerning the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), which is keen on purchasing the home of a woman, Donna Jensen from Hinkley, California. The case file also contains medical records of the woman, who seems to be suffering from several tumours, a condition that is shared by her husband, who has Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Â
Upon further probing, Erin finds that PG&E has been footing the medical bills of the couple, due to the contamination of Hinkley’s groundwater by the carcinogenic hexavalent chromium. It turns out PG&E had been telling the residents of Hinkley that the company had been using a safer form of chromium. As Erin’s investigation gets deeper, as many as 634 residents of Hinkley come forth with their accounts of being exposed to the chemical, and its fallout on their health. How Erin manages to win the trust of the residents of this little town and mobilises them into filing a class action lawsuit, winning the plaintiffs a settlement of $333 million from PG&E, forms the core of this highly inspiring real-life story. Â
Director Soderbergh who had been a darling of the indie-film circuit with his breakout film Sex, Lies and Video tape, and went on to direct Traffic and the Ocean’s 11 franchise, is in terrific form in this film. He extracts a career defining performance from Roberts, whose go-for-broke portrayal manages to smash every stereotype audience have had about her being a romcom matinee idol. More than anything, the film is a testament to journalism and advocacy done right. It takes into account the dangers of needling corporates on the wrong side of the law and the clear and present danger of how often trust can be misused when it comes dressed in a pin stripe suit.Â
BINGE-WORTHYÂ
TITLE: Erin Brockovich (2000)Â
DIRECTOR: Steven SoderberghÂ
SOURCE: NetflixÂ
- Roberts won the Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and various critics’ awards for her portrayal. Â
- She beat out Ellen Burstyn the same year, who was up for an Oscar for her devastating performance in Requiem for a Dream.Â
- The film performed well with test audience but executives at Universal worried that viewers would be turned off by the title character’s use of profane language Â
- Scientific accuracy of the film has been questioned. NY Times said scientists suggested their profession would have more ‘rationally evaluated the medical evidence’ that inspired BrockovichÂ
- Soderbergh won an Oscar for directing Traffic that year.
Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!
Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!
Click here for iOS
Click here for Android
Next Story
