Minamata
About the Film
By 1971, the legendary Life photojournalist W. Eugene Smith is a burnt-out recluse in New York, drinking heavily and estranged from the work that made him famous. He is coaxed back into the field by Aileen, a young Japanese-American interpreter, who tells him about Minamata — a fishing town where the Chisso chemical company has for decades been dumping mercury into the sea, poisoning generations of residents with a horrifying neurological disease.
Travelling to Japan, Smith slowly earns the trust of the afflicted families and documents their suffering and their fight for justice against a powerful corporation determined to silence them. Facing intimidation and violence, he captures the images — most famously “Tomoko in Her Bath” — that would awaken the world to the tragedy and cement his place as a giant of photojournalism.
Plot synopsis by johnny-depp.org.
Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp all but disappears into W. Eugene Smith, the real-life photojournalist — grey-bearded, bespectacled and beret-clad, worn down by debt, drink and disillusionment. Depp, who also produced the film, plays him with a weary tenderness, tracing Smith’s journey from self-destructive isolation back to purpose as he risks everything to give the victims of Minamata a voice. Critics singled out the performance as one of his most mature and restrained.
Cast & Crew
Cast
W. Eugene SmithJohnny Depp
Aileen Mioko SmithMinami
Mitsuo YamazakiHiroyuki Sanada
Robert HayesBill Nighy
Junichi NojimaJun Kunimura
Tatsuo MatsumuraTadanobu Asano
KiyoshiRyo Kase
Crew
DirectorAndrew Levitas
ScreenplayDavid Kessler, Stephen Deuters, Andrew Levitas, Jason Forman
Based on the book byAileen Mioko Smith & W. Eugene Smith
MusicRyuichi Sakamoto
CinematographyBenoît Delhomme
ProducersJohnny Depp, Andrew Levitas, Sam Sarkar, Kevan Van Thompson
StudioHanWay Films / Metalwork Pictures / Infinitum Nihil
Filming Locations
- Japan
- Serbia
- Montenegro
More about this film
Trivia
- Johnny Depp reportedly cut his own salary to help keep the passion project within its modest budget.
- The film recreates Smith’s most famous photograph, “Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath.”
- Director Andrew Levitas publicly accused distributor MGM of trying to “bury” the film amid Depp’s legal troubles.
- The score is by the acclaimed Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Awards
- 2022 Oscars Fan Favorite contest — third place
