Minamata (2020)

Director: Andrew Levitas

Starring: Johnny Depp, Minami, Jun Kunimura, Bill Nighy, Hiroyuki Sanada

Primary genre: Drama

Secondary genre: True story

“Minamata” follows the traditional route that films with similar themes (e.g., “Erin Brockovich” (1999)) have walked before albeit offering a more tragic tone and a more nuanced approach.

While this horrific story of environmental pollution does not have any surprises up its sleeve, the film attempts to present this well documented tragedy with a stoic brush. It wisely avoids the pitfalls of melodrama and allows the Japanese culture to play an important role in decision making organically that does not necessarily reflect similar proceedings in the West.

Told by the perspective of the famous photographer Eugene W. Smith who in the film’s opening, leaves as a recluse and struggles with alcoholism, the script focuses on his journey to the land of the rising sun and allows the moviegoers to observe Eugene, a deeply flawed character who decides to do the right thing. It is a bold creatively choice to center on the perspective of an outsider but this is what makes “Minamata” all the more appealing; Eugene acts as the audience’s catalyst to experience these events first hand in circumstances and in environments that make him almost useless for a variety of reasons (e.g., language barriers, age). Yet, there is a sense of a finishing line towards the end that bypasses some key moments which perhaps might have required more time to unfold (e.g., Eugene’s relationship with Aileen (Minami) feels semi-explored) while few interesting secondary characters do not get enough time to develop.

The multi-talented Andrew Levitas directs the sorrowful story with a remarkably restrained approach. Despite the simple theme of people vs big (and corrupted) corporations, Levitas takes his time to establish a wide array of supporting characters and extracts meaningful performances from his cast complemented by a soulful score from Japan’s own Ryuichi Sakamoto (“The Last Emperor“ (1987), “The Revenant“ (2015)). Avoiding stereotypical characterization of the Japanese culture and featuring tender moments that would break and simultaneously warm your heart, Levitas displays an infectious respect for a story that at the hands of a lesser director, it could have easily been used for melodramatic purposes, placing strong emphasis on excellent and unique shots with vibrant cinematography.

Credited as a comeback vehicle for Johnny Depp’s vast acting range, “Minamata” offers his most grounded performance, lacking eccentric or OTT elements that by today’s standards could have been distracting. Portraying Eugene as a man who struggles with his own demons but he is still very much in the game, Depp maintains a fascinating presence in the cinematic realm of photo-journalism commanding the audience’s full attention. The rest of the cast are all solid with Bill Nighy making quite an impression in his short role as editor-in-chief for the Life magazine while despite their limited screentime, Minami, Hiroyuki Sanada and Tadanobu Asano provide strong support without feeling eclipsed.

“Minamata” attempts (for most of the part) to tell a true story with poignant care successfully. Offering an outstanding performance by Depp that makes it worth the price of admission alone, it avoids the use of preachy undertones choosing instead to focus respectfully on the real victims of an environmental disaster that is certain to warm your heart and tear your eyes. Highly recommended.

Depp is mesmerizing

+Grounded performance by Depp

+Excellent soundtrack

+… and direction

+Vibrant cinematography

+Story tackled with respect

+Relevant to today story

+Great supporting cast

-Not fully developed

-Eugene’s/Aileen’s half-baked relationship

-Quick ending