Minamata (2020) on Netflix
W. Eugene Smith, a celebrated war photographer, has become a recluse. A secret assignment from the Life editor Robert Hayes sends him to Minamata, Japan, to document the mercury poisoning there.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb7.2/1025,263 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes73%
Trailer
Plot summary
By 1971 W. Eugene Smith has withdrawn from his career and from society, long after his celebrated years as a war photographer. In New York the Life editor Robert Hayes gives him a secret assignment in Minamata, a coastal city in Japan. The interpreter Aileen has pressed him to go and photograph the disease there. Decades of industrial negligence by the Chisso Corporation have left the residents of the coastal communities living with Minamata disease, and they campaign for recognition from Chisso and the Japanese government. Smith brings only his camera and must win the trust of the coastal community.
Cast
- Hikaru Inagawaas Giichi Matsushima
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Minamata (2020)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Director Andrew Levitas sent MGM a letter on July 26, 2021 alleging the studio had decided to "bury" Minamata because of Johnny Depp's declining public image, and pressed it for a wider release and more promotion.
- The city of Minamata, Kumamoto refused to lend its name as a supporter of a volunteer-run local screening in August 2021, telling The Asahi Shimbun it was unsure the film depicted historical events accurately or would help dispel prejudice against patients.
