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According to the Oxford dictionary justice is “the fair treatment of…
According to the Oxford dictionary justice is “the fair treatment of people”. In the film Erin Brockovich and Ed Masry fight for justice on behalf of the Hinkley residents after the discovery that the big corporation PG&E had contaminated their water with poisonous substances.
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Access to justice is the ability to use the justice system to plan your life and resolve disputes. It is essential for everyone to have access to justice in case they need to protect their rights. Despite this, the justice system can be hard for people to access because of factors such as wealth, education and employment. In the film, Erin Brockovich and Ed Masry enable the Hinkley residents access to justice.
Throughout the film, Soderbergh demonstrates how it is vital to have support when fighting for justice.
In order to gain justice people have to know that they need it and how to achieve it. The Hinkley residents didn’t know either of these and therefore, Soderbergh introduces Erin to them who they come to rely on. The Hinkley residents were being lied to by PG&E about their water being poisoned. They were so naive and trusting of the big corporation that they had no idea to even question what was happening. The first time they realise is when Erin talks to Donna Jensen.
After the realisation of the injustice the residents come to depend on Erin and eventually Ed for support. They rely on them to give them access to justice.
Erin also supports the residents emotionally. She makes the time to go and speak to them and listen to their problems. Erin develops a strong connection with the residents as she is able to empathise with them. Due to this personalised help, the residents feel that they are being listened to and therefore begin to trust Erin and Ed to act on their behalf and to make good decisions and to work hard for them.
Soderbergh highlights how the residents discover that they need support not only from Erin and Ed but from each other as well. They have to unite together and think of each other in the process in order for justice to be achievable.
When Soderbergh manipulated and lied to the residents they felt helpless and undignified. When Erin came and listened to their problems and helped them find a way to access justice they felt supported and were able to trust that their pain might be acknowledged and compensated. Thus, Soderbergh successfully highlights how support in a fight for justice can restore a person’s dignity and allow them to hope for a better future.
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In the community hall meeting scene, Soderbergh establishes an over the shoulder shot followed by a mid-shot of Ed when he directly challenges the residents to think about each other. “This is the best shot at getting some money now. You and I both know that some people in this room can’t afford to wait, to take that chance. Are you going to make them wait?” The residents then take a seat highlighting how they are willing to act and take a risk for each other. In this action, Soderbergh portrays a shift in the mindset of the residents as they become more aware of each other and the need for this case to be tackled as a united community. He is demonstrating how it is necessary to support each other as there is a need for strength in numbers when challenging a massive corporation.
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In the Daniels house, their daughter Annabel, who is ten and as a result of the water is fighting cancer, is lying sick and pale on the couch wrapped in blankets when Soderbergh does three intercut shots between her and Erin before zooming in on Annabel. The viewer can see here the almost tangible connection Erin has with Annabel.
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Ed uses colloquial language “So PG & E figures we’ll let the cat out of the bag, tell people the water’s not perfect; if we can ride out the year with no one suing, we’ll be in the clear forever”, so as to make the knowledge more accesible about the implications of PG&E’s actions and to tell the residents in a way they would understand.
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In an over the shoulder shot at the Jensens house, Soderbergh conveys Donna’s disbelief through her tone “You say this stuff, hexavalent chromium, well it's poisonous? Well it’s gotta be different than what’s in our water, cause ours is okay. The guys from PG & E told me. They sat right in the kitchen and said it was fine.”, which emphasises the innocence of the residents and how unfathomable it is to think that they were manipulated by PG&E.
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Environmental justice looks at the right for everyone to live in a safe and healthy environment. It focuses on ensuring that any environmental risks and benefits get shared equally among people no matter their age, wealth, race, ethnicity or background. In the film, Erin Brockovich is relentless in her mission to bring environmental justice to the residents of Hinkley.
In the film ‘Erin Brockovich’, Steven Soderbergh illustrates the need for advocacy when pursuing environmental justice.
Soderbergh emphasises this need through the residents who were oblivious of PG&E’S unjust actions that were poisoning the residents and Hinkley, before Erin enlightened them. Erin was able to piece together what was happening at Hinkley and possessed the compassion that encouraged her to take action.
Initially, Erin and Ed use their knowledge of PG&E’s actions to try and get a better offer for the residents' real estate. They begin to look for compensation when they realise the extent of the case. Erin and Ed look for more people who have been affected by the contaminated water and organise a class action against PG&E to try and achieve environmental justice. Erin and Ed are vital if the residents have any chance of gaining justice. Ed is knowledgeable about the law and Erin works hard and supports the residents, encouraging them to join the fight for justice, together they are capable of holding PG&E accountable. The residents rely on Erin and Ed as PG&E is a massive and intimidating corporation who, without the legal knowledge and strong willed determination, are capable of leaving the residents with nothing due to the control and power they wield.
Through Erin, Soderbergh highlights how it is necessary when, advocating for justice, to listen to others and to be empathetic. Soderbergh portrays Erin as a compassionate and empathetic advocate who handles the case personally, taking time to go to the residents' houses, listening to their problems with such empathy that she memorized all the plaintiffs personal information and diseases. Soderbergh demonstrates how Erin allows her compassion to drive her to fight hard for justice and to persevere when the situation seems impossible.
Sodebergh further emphasises the need for passion and empathy by highlighting how justice is inextricably tied with emotion. It is impossible to fully comprehend the necessity for justice if you remove the emotion and look solely at the facts. Soderbergh proves this by contrasting Erin with Theresa. Erin embodies justice. She is passionate and empathetic and she is driven by her emotions. As a result the residents trust Erin and work with her to try and achieve justice. Theresa is more clinical and tries to detach any emotion from the case. Soderbergh highlights how this is ineffective as the residents don’t respond well, feeling as though they aren’t being heard and supported, and Theresa doesn’t possess the same drive that helps her to persevere and fight so relentlessly for justice as Erin does.
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By exhibiting Erin as a relatable character who is successful in the case even without a law degree because she is driven by compassion and she is empathetic and embodies justice. The viewers learn how anyone can be an advocate for justice.
Soderbergh leaves the viewer with a deeper understanding of how environmental injustices thrive without advocates. Advocates can be anyone as long as they provide the support, empathy and passionate emotion that drives them to fight for justice.
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Soderbergh expresses the need for an advocate for justice to be compassionate and empathetic by displaying how Theresa, who is neither of these when working with the residents, is not nearly as effective as Erin. Soderbergh contrasts Erin and Theresa's interview, where Erin was empathetic and compassionate, Theresa asked for ‘no sentimental embellishments, just the facts’. The viewer sees the lack of connection and the discomfort of the residents when Theresa asks to detach emotion from their explanation. Soderbergh illustrates how the residents feel they aren’t being listened to and so they don't feel supported and therefore don’t feel empowered enough to fight for environmental justice.
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Soderbergh displays Erins extensive knowledge of the residents and how she listens to their problems. She is so compassionate about the people she is fighting for that she remembers everyone and everything about them. Through an eye level shot of Erin when she challenges Theresa's statement about having “holes in her research”, Soderbergh emphasises that she won’t be treated any less just because she doesn’t have a law degree. Erin is indignant and stands up to Theresa listing phone numbers, names, ages and diseases of plaintiffs from memory, proving that she is a more than adequate advocate for justice in this case as she has taken the time to know the residents and know all the problems they are suffering with. Soderbergh highlights how Erin is too invested and too driven in the case to back down from it.
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Soderbergh clarifies just how intimidating and unlikely the odds are through Erins intertextuality “ Kinda like David and what’s his name?
Ed: It’s kinda like David and what’s his name’s whole f--- family.” From Ed’s exaggeration about PG&E being not only like the unbeatable massive giant from the bible story, but being that many times worse so that it was like challenging a whole family of unbeatable terrifying warriors, the viewer can appreciate the courage and strong will it takes to fight against PG&E for justice.
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Erin takes paperwork home in an attempt to try and understand it better. As she is reading the documents Soderbergh shifts the camera to a close up of the documents. The in-focus text is juxtaposed between the ‘fair market value’, which is on the offer of purchase and with the toxicology reports of decreased white blood cells and increased lymphocytes. Here Soderbergh creates a clear correlation between the contaminated water and Donna Jensen’s health problems. As Donna is piecing the facts together there is non-diegetic music, single notes on a xylophone, that mirrors her progress and train of thought as she realises what PG&E are doing.
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