Minamata
Short description
Minamata is a drama based on the true story of W. Eugene Smith, an American photojournalist known for his wartime work. In the 1970s, he returns to Japan on an assignment for Life magazine to document the effects of mercury poisoning in the coastal town of Minamata, where industrial pollution has harmed the local fishing community. As Smith spends time with the residents and earns their trust, his reporting puts him at odds with the corporation responsible for the contamination.
The film stars Johnny Depp as Smith, alongside Minami, Hiroyuki Sanada, Bill Nighy, Jun Kunimura and Ryo Kase. It was directed by Andrew Levitas, who also shares screenplay credit with Stephen Deuters and Jason Forman, and was produced by Johnny Depp, Bill Johnson and Kevan Van Thompson. It followed Levitas's earlier directorial effort, Lullaby, released in 2014, and was itself released in March 2020.
Minamata drew modest audience ratings, scoring 7.2 out of 10 on IMDb from around 25,000 votes and 6.9 out of 10 on TMDB from roughly 342 votes, while a film critics' rating came in lower, at 6.2 out of 10 from 80 reviews. Its worldwide box office reached about 2 million US dollars, a small return for a production spanning the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Serbia and Japan.
What's left behind the scenes
- Johnny Depp was the only actor considered for the role of Eugene Smith. He received it without an audition.
- W. Eugene Smith's widow, Eileen Mioko, worked closely with the director and actively assisted in the creation of the film. She was not only a participant in the events described in the film, but still maintains contact with the residents of Minamata and continues her activist work.
- Contrary to media reports, people with a real diagnosis of Minamata disease did not participate in the filming of the movie. Everything on screen is the work of actors.
- Due to a limited budget, the film's cinematographer, Benoît Delhomme, mostly shot handheld in low-light conditions, which helped to adhere to an incredibly tight 36-day shooting schedule.
- The screenplay is based on the book “Minamata” by Eileen Mioko Smith and W. Eugene Smith.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
