Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- somber
- heartfelt
- compassionate
- historical drama night
- social justice film night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film heartfelt and accessible, with strong human-centered moments and Johnny Depp’s performance tempered by jumbled, heavy-handed direction and limited historical nuance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story follows real photojournalist W. Eugene Smith through his career collapse and transformative assignment in Minamata.
Smith uses his camera to document mercury-poisoned residents and give the disaster a human dimension.
Minamata residents campaign for recognition and justice from Chisso Corporation and the Japanese government.
The film foregrounds Smith's images and the victims' lived experience of Minamata Disease.
Films like Minamata, and why
Erin Brockovich
environmental catastrophe, investigative journalism, corporate negligence, and heartfelt issue-driven drama
Spotlight
journalistic investigation, institutional wrongdoing, moral urgency, and grounded historical drama
The Killing Fields
photojournalism, war-traumatized protagonists, humanist historical drama, and documentary-minded visual storytelling
Silkwood
environmental activism, community resistance, corporate accountability, and emotionally direct historical drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Andrew Levitas
- Release Date
- 2020-03-13
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (342)
Cast
- Johnny Depp
- Minami
- Hiroyuki Sanada
- Bill Nighy
- Jun Kunimura
- Ryo Kase
- Tadanobu Asano
- Akiko Iwase
- Katherine Jenkins
- Lily Robinson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Minamata about?
- A troubled war photographer finds renewed purpose documenting a Japanese community’s fight against the industrial poisoning that has devastated its lives.
- What is Minamata like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Minamata as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Minamata violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Minamata as mild.
- What did critics think of Minamata?
- Critics broadly found the film heartfelt and accessible, with strong human-centered moments and Johnny Depp’s performance tempered by jumbled, heavy-handed direction and limited historical nuance.
- Which films are like Minamata?
- Films with a similar feel include Erin Brockovich, Spotlight, The Killing Fields, and Silkwood.
- How long is Minamata?
- Minamata runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch Minamata?
- In United States, Minamata streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
