Dark Waters

Dir. Todd Haynes, 2019, 126 mins. DCP. With Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Pullman, Bill Camp. In an unexpected move, Haynes directed this gripping adaptation of a Nathaniel Rich New York Times Magazine investigative article titled “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare.” Adopting the style of paranoid 1970s American thrillers, Haynes and cinematographer Ed Lachman bring a bold, melancholy pallor to the true story of a corporate defense attorney, Rob Billot (Ruffalo), who fought to expose the corruption of chemical manufacturing corporation DuPont, which had knowingly been polluting the local water for decades. Rather than play Billot’s story like an inspiring tale of crusading journalism, Haynes locates a deep, sad existentialist core, while the film’s themes of exposure and contamination connect it to such earlier works as Poison and Safe. 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.