Film review: Minamata

Johnny Depp stars in this engaging drama by the multi-hyphened and multi-talented Jewish American writer-painter-photographer and director Andrew Levitas. The film premiered at Berlin Film Festival last year and was largely expected to be part of the award season buzz, but after a well publicised court case involving a British tabloid publication and his former wife Amber Heard, Johnny Depp’s attempt at a redemptive arc became yet another failure for the famously troubled star who consequently left the upcoming third instalment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

Based on Aileen Mioko Smith’s book of the same name, Minamata follows the real life story of how she and her husband, acclaimed photojournalist W. Eugene Smith, helped uncover the story of a mercury poisoning caused by a Chisso factory discharging heavy metals into water sources around Minamata, Japan.

The film kicks off in New York 1971, with Eugene Smith (Depp) an acclaimed photographer for Life magazine whose glory days are behind him. Infuriated by his heavy drinking and self-destructive behaviour, Smith’s editor (Bill Nighy) gives him one last assignment after the photographer is approached by Japanese American activist Aileen Mioko (Minami Hinase) in the hope of helping unveil the mystery behind a disease in Minamata, Japan.

Depp does a great job as Smith, playing the photographer as a severely depressed drunk. Both he and Hinase give two touching performances in this timely and engaging story.