Minamata (film)

Minamata
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Andrew Levitas
Screenplay by	David Kessler
Based on	Minamata by Aileen Mioko Smith Eugene Smith
Produced by	Johnny Depp Andrew Levitas Sam Sarkar Kevan Van Thompson
Starring	Johnny Depp Hiroyuki Sanada Minami Jun Kunimura Ryo Kase Tadanobu Asano Bill Nighy
Cinematography	Benoît Delhomme
Edited by	Nathan Nugent
Music by	Ryuichi Sakamoto
Production companies	Infinitum Nihil Metalwork Pictures HanWay Films
Distributed by	American International Pictures (MGM/UAR)[1] (United States) Vertigo Releasing (United Kingdom)
Release date	February 21, 2020 (2020-02-21) (Berlinale) August 13, 2021 (2021-08-13) (United Kingdom)
Running time	115 minutes[2]
Countries	United States United Kingdom
Languages	English Japanese
Box office	$1.6 million[3]

Minamata is a 2020 drama film directed by Andrew Levitas, based on the book of the same name by Aileen Mioko Smith and Eugene Smith. The film stars Johnny Depp (who also produced) as Smith, an American photographer who documented the effects of mercury poisoning on the citizens of Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 21, 2020. It has received positive reviews with critics praising Depp's performance as one of his best, the accurate depiction of the story and its message, the supporting cast and Levitas' direction.

Plot[]

In 1971, the American photographer W. Eugene Smith is famous for his numerous "photographic essays" published in Life, but he becomes a recluse. While on a separate assignment, a passionate Japanese translator, Aileen, urges Smith to visit Minamata to photograph and document the disease. Smith is finally convinced to do his best to unmask the devastating effects of corporate greed, an accomplice of the local police and government. He travels to Minamata in Japan to document the devastating effect of mercury poisoning and Minamata disease in coastal communities. This disease is caused by industrial pollution linked to the activities of the chemical company Chisso. Armed with only his Minolta camera against a powerful company, Smith must win the trust of the broken community and find the images that will bring this story to the world. While there, Smith becomes the victim of severe reprisals. He is therefore urgently repatriated to the United States. However, this report will make him an icon of photojournalism.

Cast[]

• Johnny Depp as W. Eugene Smith
• Akiko Iwase as Masako Matsumura
• Katherine Jenkins as Millie
• Bill Nighy as Robert Hayes
• Minami as Aileen Mioko Smith
• Tadanobu Asano as Tatsuo Matsumura
• Ryo Kase as Kiyoshi
• Hiroyuki Sanada as Mitsuo Yamazaki
• Jun Kunimura as Junichi Nojima
• Yosuke Hosoi as Daiki
• Lily Robinson as Diandra
• Masayoshi Haneda as Enforcer
• Tatsuya Hirano as Bodyguard
• Kenta Ogawa as Patient
• Shunsuke Okubo as Japanese Man
• Koji Ono as Company Man
• Bomber Hurley Smith as Chris Lee
• Kotaro Suzuki as Central Pollution Board Member
• Tatsuya Tagawa as Executive
• Ana Trkulja as Japanese Buddhist at Protest
• Ali Shams Noraei as Mr. Noraei

Production[]

On October 23, 2018, it was announced that Johnny Depp would star in the drama film as the photojournalist Eugene Smith and the film will be written and directed by Andrew Levitas.^[4]

Filming began in January 2019, with Bill Nighy, Minami Hinase, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Ryo Kase and Jun Kunimura added to the cast. Filming took place in Japan, Serbia and Montenegro.^[5]

Acclaimed Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto was hired to write the film's score.

Release[]

"Minamata" had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 21, 2020.^[6] In October 2020, MGM, through its relaunched American International Pictures banner, acquired US and Vertigo Releasing acquired UK distribution rights to the film. It was scheduled for a February 5, 2021 and February 12, 2021 release, respectively,^[7][8] but these were postponed to August 13 and TBA, respectively.^[9][10]

On July 26, 2021, Levitas sent MGM a letter alleging that it had decided to "bury the film" in response to the decline in the public image of Depp, and urging MGM to give the film a wider distribution and promotion. An MGM spokesperson told Deadline, "Minamata continues to be among future AIP releases and at this time, the film's U.S. release date is TBA."^[10]

The city of Minamata, Kumamoto, declined to lend its name as a supporter to a local screening held in August 2021 organized by volunteers, prior to the nationwide release of the film in Japan in September 2021. The city told The Asahi Shimbun that it was uncertain whether the film depicted historical events accurately and was conducive to dispelling discrimination and prejudice against patients. Kumamoto Prefecture, on the other hand, supported the screening.^[11]

Music[]

The film's score was composed by acclaimed Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Minamata's Director Andrew Levitas said that "Ryuichi was my dream collaborator – he would be on any film – but on this mission in particular, there could be no one else…The music quite literally needed to represent both the absolute best of humanity as well as the worst…In my opinion, Ryuichi was able to elegantly ride this razor’s edge and deliver on this concept entirely".^[12]

The soundtrack was released on vinyl on 30th July 2021.^[13]

Tracklist:

1. "Minamata Piano Theme" - 2:50
2. "Into Japan" - 2:59
3. "Landscape" - 4:18
4. "The Boy" - 1:10
5. "Chisso Co." - 2:08
6. "Boy and Camera" - 1:35
7. "Hidden Data" – 1:13
8. "Blow Up" – 1:52
9. "Rally and Persuasion" – 1:46
10. "Meeting" – 1:08
11. "Offer" – 5:32
12. "Commitment" – 4:35
13. "Fire" – 2:03
14. "Sharing" – 1:23
15. "Rising" – 1:45
16. "Chisso Gate" – 4:23
17. "Arson Man" – 2:26
18. "Suicide" – 1:47
19. "Mother and Child" – 2:29
20. "Coda" – 5:47
21. "Icon" – 2:16
22. "One Single Voice" (performed by Katherine Jenkins) – 3:57

Reception[]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 73% based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of 6.20/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Heartfelt yet jumbled, Minamata pays uneven tribute to a remarkable real-life story better served by the documentary treatment."^[14] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[15]

Most critics praised Johnny Depp's performance as the emotionally worn out Eugene W. Smith photographer stating that this is his best performance in years as well the Japanese supporting cast, cinematography, direction and music. Jane Fredbury from The Canberra times said that "Despite his outsize star profile, Depp manages to be convincing as a war-hardened photojournalist committed to exposing corporate crime, and doesn't distract from the issues", ultimately awarding the film four out of five stars.^[16] Variety gave "Minamata" a positive review calling it "impressive if somewhat less-than-nuanced" and mentioning that "Depp plays it surly throughout, dominating those around him".^[17] Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian said that "Minamata is a forthright, heartfelt movie, an old-fashioned “issue picture” with a worthwhile story to tell about how communities can stand up to overweening corporations and how journalists dedicated to truthful news can help them" awarding the film three out of five stars.^[18] Collider stated that "Minamata" is "well paced, beautifully filmed and does have an appealing classic feel to it, but it still lacks that spark to propel it from informative to all-consuming" while reporting that Depp "does manage to successfully convey the complexities of Eugene’s current headspace and how this assignment unearths his early determination".^[19] Sydney Morning Herald awarded the film four stars out of five stating Depp's performance "is full of grace and grit".^[20]

However, Kevin Maher of Times (UK) awarded "Minamata" 2 stars out of 5 mentioning that "The professional redemption of Johnny Depp will have to wait" ^[21] while Deborah Young from The Hollywood Reporter in a negative review wrote that "Director Andrew Levitas and his co-screenwriters dramatize a riveting story using a mass of groan-worthy genre clichés that ill-serve the truth they are trying to recreate".^[22] She did give positive remarks about Depp's performance as "he effortlessly captures the bohemian contrariness of the brilliant war photographer Gene Smith as he approaches the end of his career plagued by debts, alcohol, nightmares and disillusionment".^[23]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Minamata (Film).

• Minamata at IMDb
• World Socialist Web Site - Minamata: How a Japanese corporation poisoned a community and an American photographer fought to expose it