🎬 #136 Bad Actors.
This week’s two films deal with bad actors - people / industries who repeatedly do ‘bad.' Michael Mann’s Insider is the pinnacle of this kind of thriller for me. They delve into the effects of greed and how it manifests at a personal level and also at a corporate one. We see the personal toll they take on the people around them but also on the victims. They’re a good example of understanding that if people operate a system, our own shortcomings will be baked into it too - it if we aren’t careful.
Happy choosing, happy viewing
Bry
FILM ONE: THE GOOD NURSE
2022 Dir Tobias Lindholm
2 hrs 01 mins
Tobias Lindholm, more known for writing / co-writing most of Thomas Vinterberg’s films and directing A Hijacking, returns to another story based on true events with The Good Nurse.
It’s the down to earth-ness of the approach to the subject matter that really makes things linger. The almost constant overcast mood hangs heavy over the entire film - the exact reasoning and outcome of the events shrouded in a mist all their own, as we move methodically to the resolution.
Redmayne and Chastain are as excellent as you’d imagine, and those two at the centre of the piece make it even more compelling. As we learn more about how business and reputational interests have slowed down justice, the tension between the characters gets all the more taught. Pacing, mood, performances all meld together to create a frighteningly realistic portrait of an everyday murder spree.
TL;DR: Lindholm’s film takes us into the uncertainty and everyday-ness of the machinations of a true life, true crime tale.
*Available to stream on Netflix in the US and the UK.
Fact: This is Tobias Lindholm’s first English language film.
FILM TWO: DARK WATERS
2019 Dir Todd Haynes
2 hrs 06 mins
Much more procedural in execution, Todd Haynes’ film takes us into the investigation spearheaded by an insider - a corporate defence attorney - as he tries to help a local farmer from his home town. The farmer is adamant that there’s been a coverup of a chemical dump by Dupont that’s ravaging his farm and cattle.
Similar to A Good Nurse, the weather is never ‘nice’ - there’s a gloomy shroud that hangs over the entire film. You can almost feel the cold from the icy blacks and the inky thin tree branches stretching into the grey skin. It feels like the film is suffering from the same illness that’s afflicting the cows. The look of the film makes us feel hollowed out from the inside, suffering.
The film is gripping - not just on the human drama front, but also from the steadfast dedication to the cause that’s displayed throughout by Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal of Rob Bilott. His posture is almost bent over the entire film, as if all the weight he was feeling metaphorically, was literally hanging off his shoulder blades. It’s an engaging, sickening film when the truth is revealed.
TL;DR: Todd Hayne’s look into one of the biggest known pollution scandals on Earth, by chemical firm Dupont, will have you searching your kitchen for teflon pots and pans.
*Available to stream on Netflix and for a small rental fee on Apple and Amazon in the US and the UK.
Fact: Mark Ruffalo also appeared in another excellent film that centred around Dupont - Foxcatcher.