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Erin Brockovich: Film Study, DFB3E653-1979-455F-87C3-9DC9ABE60B9A,…
Erin Brockovich: Film Study
The manipulative and greedy nature of large companies deprives the resident's basic right to safety
Non-disclosure of truth and concealing vital information by PG & E, and willingly manipulating the truth to avoid being sued
PG & E had a seminar which outlined the use of Chromium 3 and it’s benefits, all the while knowing they were using Chromium 6, which is highly toxic
Displays how dangerous concealing the truth can be, and the need for closure surrounding the issue, and juxtaposes the non-toxic Chromium 3 against the highly toxic Chromium 6.
There is a corruption of large companies when there is a reward involved
PG & E offered to purchase a property in order to undertake tests for Chromium 6 and save their company from potential suing
Close up pan of information and addition of non-diegetic sound adds an element of tenseness as the information falls into place
The close up reveals the tests for Chromium 6 resulted positive, and the symptoms of infection from the toxin
Connection between PG & E and the law firm indicate that this issue involves both parties and relies on cooperation
Erin stating that the 2 things that aggravate her is being ignored and being lied to, which is exactly the course of action PG & E took to save themselves from pursuit of suing
Foreshadows the notion of PG & E lying to the town and residents of Hinkley and putting them in danger
Through this we learn that ideals of ignorance and deceit have become synonymous with Large companies’ greed
These ideas early on become a running theme throughout the film that is constantly reoccurring at the fault of large corporations
Erin Brockovich's compassion and empathy for the Hinkley residents builds her resilience for seeking justice
Erin’s perseverance on aiding the residents comes from a deep empathetic link with those affected by PG & E
Erin attempts to persuade a lady who has been affected by the company to take the company to court, but the lady declines
A direct eye-level shot attempts to convey the idea of thoughtfulness through Erin’s perspective, and striving for justice
The court case is not about winning or losing, its about fighting for justice and those who have been directly or indirectly manipulated and hurt by PS & E
This also displays courage on Erin’s part, because she does not care about the outcome, only getting her issue out and in the public’s eye
The courage of Erin conveys how resilient she is in her battle for justice, and the empathetic link with Erin’s clients pushes her forward as well
The trauma experienced by the residents gives Erin a starting point to empathise with them
One of Erin’s clients is affected by the Chromium 6 in the waterways and pleads for a Erin to prove PG & E guilty
The desperation in her tone indicates that she was heavily affected by the actions of PG & E, and wants the corporation held accountable for negatively affecting hundreds of lives
The mid shot of Donna in bed conveys the same notion that her and Erin are on the same level, fighting for the same cause
Donna was discouraged from fighting back against the corporation as she had a lack of knowledge for the situation which was largely covered up by PG & E
This personal connection is unique to Erin, and contrasts against the utter hostility projected by PG & E’s ambassadors
Also contradicts the perception of her work ethic, people believed her to be whimsical and unfocused in her work, but she uses that to fuel her resilience in the fight for justice
Her experience with the legal system contributed to the understanding of how traumatic the situations can get
The manipulation of large corporations leave people in compromised situations
The residents don’t whole-heartedly believe that such a trusting company would betray them so directly, and this leads to a vulnerability experienced by everyone in the town
The second guessing of Donna as she argues with Erin at how PG & E can be trusted directly correlates how manipulative and conniving the company can be
The residents have also been told the companies can be trusted, and they believed the test results were true and unaltered
It would also be more difficult for them to believe the facts about PG & E after the supposed trusting company fed them the lies they had thought were truthful
The notion of betrayal inhibiting the residents’ Rights conveys the lack of morality and how the companies actions compromise the situations of many
By the time the residents realise they’ve been lied to, the issues would have already manifested
Donna also looks back at her children playing around in the toxic water, and the tracking shot conveys her sense of urgency as she realises she has been lied to
The diegetic sound of the children playing in the pool contrasts against the bleak mood set by the conversation between Erin and Donna
These playful sounds can be said to be connected to how clueless the residents are before the figure out the truth to PG & E and it’s deceit
People believe that they are at fault due to companies’ lies and deceitful nature
One of Erin’s clients was affected physically, but also lasting mental impacts were prevalent. Mandy says that she had 5 miscarriages, and after hearing other peoples’ issues, thought it wasn’t just her
This thought pursued Erin in her study of documents about PG & E concealing their footsteps and potential for suing
The aspect of the chickens with twisted necks also raises some debate over the extent to which the environmental injustices seeped into the ecosystems and such
This point acknowledges the fact that by that time, the affects of chromium 6 had already taken hold of the environment
