12 h 18 sept. 2021 ans - MINAMATA Media Coverage Andrew Levitas Social Media

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FROM MOVIE COLLECTION MAGAZINE, JAPAN:

[Translated from the original Japanese using Google Translate]


Is it pointless to worry about fact and fiction if there is a just cause? "MINAMATA" is a film that evokes both moving and complex emotions.

Johnny Depp's portrayal of Smith is moving
[Weekend Cinema] I was overcome with indescribable emotions. I was deeply moved that a film about a pollution issue recognized in the late 20th century, which is almost forgotten even in Japan, was made starring Johnny Depp, and I was surprised that the story was told in this way.

Based on the 1975 photo book "MINAMATA," co-authored by the late American photographer W. Eugene Smith and his ex-wife Irene Mioko Smith, this film focuses on the days they spent in Minamata, where they stayed from 1971 to 1974.

The film also depicts his work supporting patients and their families of Minamata disease, which occurred when the ocean was polluted by organic mercury contained in industrial wastewater from the Minamata factory of chemical manufacturer Chisso, affecting the health of local residents, and his struggle for compensation, as well as his confrontation with the president of Chisso.

One of Smith's photographs symbolizing "MINAMATA," "Tomoko and Mother Bathing," shows a young girl with Minamata disease in the womb being held by her mother while soaking in a bathtub, was published in LIFE magazine in 1972 and sent a powerful message to the world about the state of Minamata at the time.

Depp, who also serves as a producer on this film, has a graying beard and looks just like the real Smith, both inside and out. The two look relatively similar, but what's even more moving is how their souls seem to call out to each other.

Before being approached about going to Minamata, Smith, then in his fifties and living in New York, was suffering from an old injury sustained during his military reporting in the Battle of Okinawa, and was addicted to drugs and alcohol, losing his motivation for his work. He met Eileen, who was serving as an interpreter for a report from Japan, and was led to Minamata.

He has the ruggedness of a recluse, yet also a gentleness. He's no saint, but he's determined to stick to his beliefs. What is most moving is Smith's portrayal as both an artist who expresses himself through the medium of photography, and as a man on the brink of breaking down due to physical and mental pain.

The suspense part is clichéd, but the acting of the Japanese cast, including Tadanobu Asano, is superb.

As for the film itself, I got the impression that it was a single work split into two parts: the sensitive drama that depicts Smith and Irene's extended stay in Minamata, deepening their relationships with the people and capturing them on camera, and the clichéd suspense portrayal, which are as separated as oil and water in one cup.

At the beginning of the film, I saw Tadanobu Asano's performance as a father with a child who had Minamata disease, and I thought, "This film is believable." The Japanese cast, including Minami, who struggles to speak English as Irene, Hiroyuki Sanada and Ryo Kase, who play people fighting against big corporations for compensation, and Jun Kunimura, who plays the president of Chisso, all contribute impeccably. The beauty of the scene in which Smith takes the decisive photograph that changed his life as a photographer and shook the world is unforgettable.

What is Depp's desire to "convey the message correctly"?
The film is thought-provoking, but what particularly got me thinking was Depp's desire to "tell the story correctly," as stated in the film's materials. When I looked into some of the depictions that struck me as odd, such as Smith's actions in Minamata and what happened to him, I found that many of them were not true stories.

Of course, MINAMATA is a feature film, not a documentary, but the fact that the fictional episodes inserted into the historically based story touch on important aspects of the pollution problem evokes mixed emotions.

The screenplay is credited to four people, including director Andrew Levitas and David K. Kessler, making his feature film debut. The overly scripted screenplay is as mediocre as a poorly made thriller, and it's hard to say it's effective entertainment.

Personally, I think the filmmakers could have had more faith in Smith's true achievements, the people involved, and the power of the reality they lived in. But if the cause is to raise awareness of what happened in Minamata, is it pointless to obsess over the facts of the details?

This year marks the 65th anniversary of Minamata disease being officially recognized in 1956. With the existence of victims who have yet to be recognized as patients, this is not something that has happened in the past, but something that is still ongoing.

I still have more to say, but I'll just have to swallow it. Because, in an interview with the English-language media outlet Kyoto Journal, Eileen Mioko Smith said about the film's portrayal, which isn't necessarily factual, "I've had a sort of epiphany. It's about letting go." By letting go in this way, Smith and the message she wanted to convey will be able to reach more people.

If the people who were actually there and the historical consultants are okay with depictions that make bold leaps from the facts, then there's no point in outsiders interjecting. I'd like to think a little more about what it means to "communicate correctly." (Text: Tominaga Yuki, film writer)

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