“Minamata” A gaze focused on capturing the soul that soothed Minamata and Eugene Smith

“Minamata” synopsis

1971, New York. Eugene Smith, hailed as one of America's leading photographers, was now living a rough life, addicted to alcohol. One day, a woman who calls herself Irene asks me to photograph people suffering from the harmful substances that the Chisso factory in Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture, releases into the ocean. Children who are infected with mercury and unable to walk or speak, protests intensifying, and factories using force to suppress them. Although Eugene is surprised by such a scene, he calmly continues to take pictures, but something happens that causes him to face a dangerous counterattack. Cornered into a corner, Eugene makes a proposal to people living with Minamata disease and takes a photo that will change his life and the world.

Index

• The original is a photo book
• The allegorical quality achieved by filming overseas
• A viewing experience that assimilates Eugene Smith's gaze

The original is a photo book

The movie ``MINAMATA'' is based on the photo book `` MINAMATA '' released in 1975 by news photographer W. Eugene Smith and his then-wife Eileen Mioko Smith. It's rare to see a movie based on a photo book, but once you watch it, you'll immediately understand its meaning. This is because the film depicts the process by which Eugene Smith took a photo that shook the world.

Eugene Smith has published numerous masterpiece photo essays in magazines such as ``LIFE'' and has been selected as one of the ``Ten Greatest Photographers in the World.'' In 1971, glory was behind him and he was addicted to alcohol. One day, Eugene meets Irene, a woman who was coordinating a Japanese commercial shoot. She informs them that many residents in Japan are suffering from illness due to wastewater from the large corporation Chisso, and Eugene and Irene head to Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture to report.

“MINAMATA” preview

I couldn't help but brace myself as I watched this film starring Johnny Depp as Eugene Smith. What kind of impression will the important events in Japan's postwar history, visualized by American staff, leave on the audience? Many Hollywood movies have been criticized for depicting Japan based on misunderstandings. Moreover, when dealing with the ongoing problem of pollution, as in this work, the bar for expression required is even higher.

But my fears were unfounded. The story carefully follows Eugene Smith's emotional movements leading up to the time he took the photograph of ``Tomoko and Mother Bathing'', which is said to be the ultimate in press photography. The photographer's soul healing was depicted with a wonderful balance. A major reason for this is that this film, while centering on the star actor Johnny Depp, succeeded in creating a look and atmosphere that is not typical of a Hollywood movie.

The allegorical quality achieved by filming overseas