Horror movies condition us be cautious of our surroundingsto flinch at the sound of a creaking floorboard or a sudden chill in the air. But the biggest scares in life are the ones that come from things we think are completely safe. In Dark Waters, the evil lies in frying pans. But as it goes, that innocuous household staple is a window into a greater terror.
The thriller, which was directed by Todd Haynes and hits theaters this week, draws from a 2016 New York Times article by Nathaniel Rich to tell the real-life story of corporate lawyer and environmental activist Rob Bilott (played by Mark Ruffalo), who won a $670 million cash settlement for thousands of people affected by exposure to harmful chemicals at the hands of the DuPont chemical company. Bilott, a partner at a Cincinnati law firm, spent the beginning of his career fighting on behalf of large chemical corporations, but in 1998, he decided to take on one of the biggest ones in the world.
After receiving a desperate call from a farmer named Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp), an acquaintance of his grandmother whod captured footage of his cows being gruesomely ravaged by some unknown disease, he discovered that DuPont had been exposing plant workers and residents of Parkersburg, West Virginia, and other neighboring towns with hazardous substances found in Teflon, leading to high instances of chronic illness, birth defects, and death.
"I saw the footage of the cows, and that's the original footage [that you see in the movie], Ruffalo told VICE on a cold afternoon in November. That's Wilbur Tennant's footage. I saw that, and I was like, 'This is a horror story. A real-life horror story.'' Clad in a suit and tie he seemed uncomfortable wearing, the actor and longtime environmental activist spoke with the fervor and wear of someone who's been in the fight for a long time. So stepping in to play Bilott, a man who has dedicated decades to get justice for the many affected by DuPont's gross malfeasance, seemed only natural. "I was floored by the story and just the enormity of this cover-up, how many people must've been involved in it, he said. I thought it was also a microcosm of a bigger systemic issue in the United States."
In 1938, Roy J. Plunkett, a chemist employed by DuPont, accidentally invented a seemingly miraculous polymer they named polytetrafluoroethylene, then later, simply "Teflon." By the 1950s, teflon-coated non-stick frying pans were being sold widely as a brand new secret weapon for housewives: here's a wonder pan that will keep food from burning and sticking while cooking! Today, you can walk into any Bed, Bath, & Beyond or TJ Maxx and buy Teflon-coated pots and pans at a low, low price. But that's not all! Teflon is also used in a variety of products, including waterproof clothing, rugs, pizza boxes, furniture, dental floss, hair straighteners, and microwave popcorn bags, as well as in firefighting equipment. Here's the thing, though: Teflon contains perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), otherwise known as C8, part of a larger cluster of "forever" chemicals called PFAS or PFOAs that never break down in the environment and build up in humans and animals, causing irreparable damage.
DuPont, Bilott found, had been knowingly releasing forever chemicals into the local water, as well as exposing countless workers to them in the plant. For decades, people in the area kept becoming gravely ill. Many of them died, and women were giving birth to children with severe deformities. Bilott's investigations and subsequent litigation against DuPont and its spin-off company Chemours eventually lead to the largest health study in history, paid for by DuPont and Chemours to determine the extent of the contamination in the local population. Researchers surveyed the blood of a little over 69,000 people who lived and worked near the plant and discovered C8/PFOA levels in most participants and a link between that contamination and various cancers, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, pre-eclampsia, and other health issues. In 2017, DuPont and Chemours paid out that $670 million settlement to the 3,550 that took part in the class action lawsuit. DuPont continues to deny any wrongdoing.
Still, the impact of this large-scale health disaster is unending: a study done at Harvard reported unsafe levels of PFAS in the drinking water of at least 6 million people (though researchers believe it may be closer to 100 million). As of October, DuPont and other chemical companies have been found to be contaminating drinking water in 49 states,1,398 locations across the country, and at least 126 military bases, facing lawsuits in New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, and New York. It is believed by the scientific community that 99 percent of Americans (including newborns) have varying amounts of C8/PFOA in their blood, and that the crisis is global, affecting wildlife as well.
And yet, DuPont is still the only manufacturer of Teflon, now with a slightly less hazardous chemical compound called GenX, which has been questioned for its own dangerous properties. Even with the bad press around Teflon and PFAS, DuPont is still thriving. In 2018 alone, the company brought in a total revenue of $22.7 billion. Countless companies globally sell Teflon products.
"When you see what these people are capable of, how willfully they knew exactly what they were doing and kept doing it because they were making so much money, it makes you mad," Haynes said.
The director, who spent time in Parkersburg and Cincinnati along with Ruffalo and co-screenwriter Mario Correa in 2017 and 2018, marvels at the sheer magnitude of DuPont's actions, and what it means on a larger level. "The fact that we're also contaminated by this waterit's in all of us. It kind of links us in a way," Haynes said. "Not that we ever were asked for permission to have our bloodstreams be forever changed for the ease of non-stick cookware. But [the situation is] a metaphor for the way the system invades us, and that we have to be diligent and knowledgeable and stand up and pick our battles. If we keep doing that, there will be change."
It's impossible not to feel horrified and infuriated in watching Dark Waters, or feel the weight of responsibility on Bilott's shoulders to be the David taking on a billion-pound Goliath. In one scene, Bilott comes face-to-face with Bucky Bailey, the son of former DuPont employee Sue Bailey. During an earlier contentious meeting with DuPont, Bilott holds up a photo of Bucky as a newborn, his little face made up of a serrated eyelid and only half a nose. Later, at a gas station, a male voice asks Bilott for the score of a game, and he turns to find that same face aged 30-odd years, leaving him shaken. It's even more unsettling when you realize the real Bucky Bailey plays himself in that scene.
"It's such a long journey for [Bilott], and it just took its toll on him, financially, socially, with his career, his family, his community. It was a very grueling slog," said Ruffalo. "You're living in that every single day. Those scenes where I'm sitting there in despair, I didn't have to act very much."
Ruffalo continued: "[Activism is] so hard and thankless and fucking despairing," he said. "Part of the reason I wanted to do this was because I've done so much activism." Ruffalo started The Solutions Project in 2011 to fund and provide resources to small groups and organizations working to "transition their communities to 100 percent renewable energy," particularly ones lead by women and people of color. He's also had a history of choosing films that speak to social injustice, including 2015's Spotlight. Ruffalo believes film is a powerful tool for social change, shocking people into action in a way activism may not be able to. With Dark Waters, he's continuing on this path: The films launch coincides with his new Fight Forever Chemicals campaign with activist media company Participant, focused on raising awareness of the damage that forever chemicals cause and pushing government agencies like the EPA to regulate them.
Like the water crisis in Flint, the protests at Standing Rock, the Hinkley groundwater contamination case, and the many indigenous water protectors young and old, fighting to save their precious natural resources, Dark Waters brings another upsetting and frightening story forward about our jeopardized waters.
"This is the sickness of our culture right now, where democracy is in service of capitalism instead of the other way around, Ruffalo said. If you measure a country's health and their well-being on the GDP alone, then you're gonna have a lot of sick people running around."
Ruffalo has already spoken at the U.S. Capitol and testified before the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on the Environment, urging the EPA to take stronger steps in regulating forever chemicals. Ruffalo blames corporate greed and interests for the lack of movement in safeguarding the public from PFAS.
"As soon as the state has a stake in our healthcare, I promise you our food and our water and our air is gonna get cleaned up really fucking fast," said Ruffalo.
See original here:
'Dark Waters' Is a Real-Life Horror Story, And You're Part of It - VICE
- 'Immaculate' ending explained: Was the baby a demon? - Business Insider - April 2nd, 2024
- 10 Horror Movies That Would Have Ended Earlier If Their Heroes Were Smarter - CBR - Comic Book Resources - April 2nd, 2024
- Terrifier 3 director reveals they filmed 'most insanely horrific scenes' that nearly made lead actor vomit on set - UNILAD - April 2nd, 2024
- The Latest Stephen King Horror Movie Has A Killer Cast And Director - SlashFilm - April 2nd, 2024
- THE FIRST OMEN 2024: Release Date, Cast, Plot, And Everything You Need to Know - FANGORIA - April 2nd, 2024
- Sting Review | Excellent Creature Feature with an Emotional Backdrop - MovieWeb - April 2nd, 2024
- IMMACULATE Interview with Director Michael Mohan, Discussing the Making of the Film, Reactions to the Ending, and ... - Daily Dead - April 2nd, 2024
- Mood 'Windigo' - Book and Film Globe - April 2nd, 2024
- A 2016 Thriller Is The Top Movie On Netflix Right Now - HuffPost - April 2nd, 2024
- 10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Beetlejuice, 36 Years Later - Screen Rant - April 2nd, 2024
- All the Horror Movies We Can't Wait To See in 2024 - The Mary Sue - April 2nd, 2024
- A Buzzy Korean Horror Movie Is Sneakily One Of The Biggest Box Office Hits Of 2024 - SlashFilm - April 2nd, 2024
- Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3 horror movie confirmed, after second film debuted to a surprise perfect Rotten ... - Gamesradar - April 2nd, 2024
- Fear Street 4 Is Reviving An Old Horror Trend That Was Perfected 48 Years Ago - Screen Rant - April 2nd, 2024
- Lisa Frankenstein Hides The Fact That It Cast The Real Star Of 2023's Viral $181 Million Horror Movie - Screen Rant - April 2nd, 2024
- Finally, Someone Confirms That A Sequel To HELLRAISER Is In The Works - FANGORIA - April 2nd, 2024
- We're definitely hard at work on: Hellraiser Sequel Promises to Be Even More Terrifying as Producer Vows to Take ... - FandomWire - April 2nd, 2024
- Future Chucky Movie Will Connect To The Series, Says Don Mancini - Screen Rant - April 2nd, 2024
- After Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, Freddy and Jason Need to Cameo in the Poohniverse - MovieWeb - April 2nd, 2024
- Chucky Creator Reveals He is Working on a New Child's Play Movie: 'Whatever Keeps Me Working' - MovieWeb - April 2nd, 2024
- AI In Late Night With The Devil Sparks Controversy - Forbes - March 24th, 2024
- A horror movie based on a Stephen King novel with a disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score is climbing Netflix's top 10 - Gamesradar - March 24th, 2024
- This is why we're so obsessed with nuns in horror movies - according to the official source, a nun - Gamesradar - March 24th, 2024
- Stephen King reveals the one horror movie he couldn't sit through as he was too scared - UNILAD - March 24th, 2024
- Late Night With the Devil directors address the use of AI art in the film - JoBlo.com - March 24th, 2024
- David Dastmalchian on Late Night with the Devil, The Life of Chuck and Good Fiend Films - Kansas City Pitch - March 24th, 2024
- Welcome to the Poohniverse: Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey Team to Unite Pooh, Bambi, Tinkerbell and More in Low-Budget Horror Crossover (EXCLUSIVE)... - March 24th, 2024
- Late Night with the Devil is the best horror movie of the year so far - Yahoo Movies Canada - March 24th, 2024
- Sydney Sweeney 'wanted to be drenched in blood' in 'Immaculate' - Entertainment Weekly News - March 24th, 2024
- Film of the Week: 'Stopmotion' - The best horror film of 2024 so far - Euronews - March 24th, 2024
- How to Watch Immaculate: Is the Sydney Sweeney Movie Streaming? - TheWrap - March 24th, 2024
- THE FIRST OMEN: A Battle With The Devil And An NC-17 Rating FANGORIA - FANGORIA - March 24th, 2024
- Elevated Horror: The New Wave of Artful Scares Taking Over Hollywood - LRM Online - March 24th, 2024
- Late Night With the Devil Plot Explained: The True Meaning of the Movie - The Direct - March 24th, 2024
- David Chase is directing his first film in 12 years. Its a horror movie. - NJ.com - March 24th, 2024
- Us Was The Box Office Hit That Gave Jordan Peele True Power In Hollywood - SlashFilm - March 24th, 2024
- Cast of 'Gremlins': Catch Up With the Stars of the '80s Hit - First For Women - March 24th, 2024
- 'Immaculate' Review: Sydney Sweeney Is Wide-Eyed but Sly - The New York Times - March 24th, 2024
- Sydney Sweeney explains that bloody 'Immaculate' ending - Entertainment Weekly News - March 24th, 2024
- When Will Sydney Sweeney's Horror Film, 'Immaculate,' Be Available to Stream? - AOL - March 24th, 2024
- Blumhouse to Return Insidious and Other Titles to Theaters for Halfway to Halloween Fest - Hollywood Reporter - March 16th, 2024
- Every Movie In The Wrong Turn Franchise Ranked - SlashFilm - March 16th, 2024
- Blumhouse Celebrating 'Halfway to Halloween' With Five Horror Movies Returning to 100 AMC Movie Theaters - Bloody Disgusting - March 16th, 2024
- DeWanda Wise Sings Creepy Theme Of New Horror Film: 'Imaginary' - The Root - March 16th, 2024
- Hostel: Part II (2007) WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? - JoBlo.com - March 16th, 2024
- New LEPRECHAUN Movie Will Be Funny, Scary And Full Of Practical Effects - FANGORIA - March 16th, 2024
- Blumhouse Celebrating Halfway to Halloween With Five Horror Movies Returning to 100 AMC Movie Theaters - IMDb - March 16th, 2024
- The Horror Nail-Biter On Max With A Controversial Ending - Giant Freakin Robot - March 16th, 2024
- "Says the person who was in Madame Web": Sydney Sweeney is Getting Skewered for Saying Modern Horror Movies ... - FandomWire - March 16th, 2024
- First trailer for horror movie reboot The Crow features an unrecognizable Bill Skarsgrd on a bloody mission of revenge - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- You'll Never Find Me Is Unforgettable Horror, See The Terror In Action - Giant Freakin Robot - March 16th, 2024
- The First Omen star has seen all of your internet theories about the horror movie prequel and, well, they're all wrong - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Sltface take on horror movies with their new single, 'Final Grl' - Dork Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- From 'Five Nights at Freddy's' to 'Imaginary': Why Blumhouse loves PG-13 horror - theday.com - March 16th, 2024
- The First Omen's Big Death Reveal Really Doesn't Bode Well For The Prequel - Screen Rant - March 16th, 2024
- 20 Scariest Horror Movies to Come Out in the Last 5 Years - MovieWeb - March 16th, 2024
- 'The Animal Kingdom' Exclusive Clip Previews the Gnarly Body Horror of Magnet's New Movie - Bloody Disgusting - March 16th, 2024
- 'Oddity' Review: This Supernatural Horror Film Will Tear You To Pieces | SXSW 2024 - Collider - March 16th, 2024
- "Marketing is failing this movie tremendously": David Dastmalchian's Late Night With the Devil Dubbed as One of the ... - FandomWire - March 16th, 2024
- STOPMOTION is a handcrafted tale of beauty and horror - Moviejawn - March 16th, 2024
- Horror Lovers Will Love this Dining Spot in Texas - klaq.com - March 8th, 2024
- Is Late Night With The Devil Based On A True Story? - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- Kooky King: 6 of the Weirdest Stephen King Film Adaptations - Nightmare on Film Street - March 8th, 2024
- The Unknown, the Viral Willy Wonka Experience Villain, Is Already Getting Their Own Horror Movie - IGN - March 8th, 2024
- 13 Original Horror Movies We Can't Wait to See in 2024 - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- From 'Imaginary' to 'Five Nights at Freddy's.' Why Blumhouse loves PG-13 horror - Los Angeles Times - March 8th, 2024
- Imaginary Movie Review: M3gan Meets The Boogeyman - Mama's Geeky - March 8th, 2024
- Christopher Nolan Originally Conceived Inception As A Horror Movie - SlashFilm - March 8th, 2024
- 'Whalefall' Movie in the Works From 'No One Will Save You' Director Brian Duffield - The Mary Sue - March 8th, 2024
- Horror Movie Based On THE UNKNOWN From Glasgow's WILLY WONKA Experience In The Works Horror Movie ... - CBM (Comic Book Movie) - March 8th, 2024
- Horrifying 'Late Night With The Devil' Trailer Released - Outkick - March 8th, 2024
- Imaginary review: M3GAN, take the wheel - Dexerto - March 8th, 2024
- The Unknown: Horror Movie Based on Unofficial Willy Wonka Experience Is in the Works - ComingSoon.net - March 8th, 2024
- Imaginary Film Review: Light on Frights - Loud And Clear Reviews - March 8th, 2024
- Dead Mail Directors on Their '80s Horror Influences - MovieWeb - March 8th, 2024
- HORROR BEAT: Blumhouse offers a non-update on the future of THE EXORCIST - Comics Beat - March 8th, 2024
- And the Oscar for best picture doesn't go to ... horror! - NPR - March 8th, 2024
- Shaitaan OTT Release: When And Where To Watch R Madhavan And Ajay Devgn Starrer Horror Thriller Film - Indiatimes.com - March 8th, 2024
- The 'Wonka Experience' Is Being Turned Into A Horror Movie - UPROXX - March 8th, 2024
- 8 new horror movies on Netflix, Max, Shudder and more in March 2024 - TechRadar - March 8th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero