War photographer W. Eugene Smith travels back to Japan where he documents the devastating effect of mercury poisoning in coastal communities.War photographer W. Eugene Smith travels back to Japan where he documents the devastating effect of mercury poisoning in coastal communities.War photographer W. Eugene Smith travels back to Japan where he documents the devastating effect of mercury poisoning in coastal communities.
- Awards
- 3 nominations total
Featured reviews
Minamata is a must-watch for all cinema lovers to appreciate the cinematography, direction and the choice of background scores used, about the Minamata disease that caused havoc in the early 1970s.
Johnny Depp, perhaps one of the greatest and most versatile actors of all time, turns in a powerful and sombre performance where he is able to emote mostly from his eyes. Once again, he goes right into the skin of the character in this case, the late Eugene Smith and is definitely worthy a performance to ATLEAST an Academy Award nomination. Bill Nighy is good in an extended cameo. Minami is very good in her role as well.
To summarise, this movie is a must watch for Johnny Depp's excellent performance, his best since Black Mass, and the topic of mercury poising and the environmental damage by conglomerates, which I personally believe needs to receive more attention. This movie personofies art & cinema's true purpose.
Johnny Depp, perhaps one of the greatest and most versatile actors of all time, turns in a powerful and sombre performance where he is able to emote mostly from his eyes. Once again, he goes right into the skin of the character in this case, the late Eugene Smith and is definitely worthy a performance to ATLEAST an Academy Award nomination. Bill Nighy is good in an extended cameo. Minami is very good in her role as well.
To summarise, this movie is a must watch for Johnny Depp's excellent performance, his best since Black Mass, and the topic of mercury poising and the environmental damage by conglomerates, which I personally believe needs to receive more attention. This movie personofies art & cinema's true purpose.
Mr. Depp once again showed what a powerful actor he is. I am not going to write about charm and charisma, I will only note that all actors fall into two categories. The play of the first ceases to be perceived as a game and begins to be seen as life. The character comes to life. The play of the latter can be good or bad, but it is always clear that it is just a play. Depp belongs to the first category.
"Minamata" is a Drama movie in which we follow the photographer William Eugene Smith traveling to some coastal villages in Japan to capture with his camera the effect of mercury poisoning on people.
I was simply amazed by this movie because it had an interesting plot that was based on real events and since I did not know about them I was shocked. The direction which was made by Andrew Levitas was very good and he presented very well the whole story behind mercury poisoning and he also did a good job on the way he used some old footage of that time. The interpretation of Johnny Depp who played as William Eugene Smith was simply outstanding. Some other interpretations that have to be mentioned were Minami's who played as Aileen, Hiroyuki Sanada's who played as Mitsuo Yamazaki and Jun Kunimura's who played as Junichi Nojima. In conclusion, I have to say that "Minamata" is an amazing movie and I highly recommend everyone to watch it because you will learn something about a huge environmental problem that affected many people and many families.
I was simply amazed by this movie because it had an interesting plot that was based on real events and since I did not know about them I was shocked. The direction which was made by Andrew Levitas was very good and he presented very well the whole story behind mercury poisoning and he also did a good job on the way he used some old footage of that time. The interpretation of Johnny Depp who played as William Eugene Smith was simply outstanding. Some other interpretations that have to be mentioned were Minami's who played as Aileen, Hiroyuki Sanada's who played as Mitsuo Yamazaki and Jun Kunimura's who played as Junichi Nojima. In conclusion, I have to say that "Minamata" is an amazing movie and I highly recommend everyone to watch it because you will learn something about a huge environmental problem that affected many people and many families.
Initially I was quite shocked by Johnny Depp's weathered appearance. After overcoming the initial shock, I was completely captivated by the very touching story. The ending for me in tears.
"Minamata" is a movie in which we follow the photographer William Eugene Smith (Johnny Depp) traveling to coastal villages in Japan to capture with his camera the effect of mercury poisoning on people. It is a story about corporate greed (Yes, another one....) and thus less shocking as corporate greed is always put above human life. What I am trying to say is that there is nothing shocking about corporate greed as new stories emerge every other day. However this one is unique as it was kept a secret for so long and I never even heard about it. Excellent acting from Johnny Depp despite his personal problems. I enjoyed the cinematography as old footage was used and mixed into this movie. I strongly recommend everyone to watch this movie. It is simply a very good movie, story and the environment should concern all of us.
Did you know
- TriviaThe 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.
- GoofsJohnny Depp sings Forever Young by Bob Dylan in the film in 1971. The song was written in 1973 and released in 1974.
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Thảm Họa Minamata
- Filming locations
- Belgrade, Serbia(Dunav)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $755,878
- Runtime1 hour 55 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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