Erin Brockovich
Steven Soderbergh
© Park Circus, Sony Pictures
Erin, a single mother raising three children, finds a job as an archivist at a law firm. While filing documents, she discovers a shady case involving poisoned water and decides to investigate.
Cast : Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart, Peter Coyote
Scenario : Susannah Grant
Cinematography : Edward Lachman
Editing : Anne V. Coates
Music : Thomas Newman
Scenario : Susannah Grant
Cinematography : Edward Lachman
Editing : Anne V. Coates
Music : Thomas Newman
Production : Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Jersey Films
Distribution : Park Circus
Distribution : Park Circus
The hit of 2000: the story of one woman, Erin Brockovich, who takes on a company, Pacific Gas and Electric, which has severely polluted the groundwater in the small town of Hinkley, California. Contamination, a series of cancers, a hopeless legal battle... Yet despite threats, pressure, administrative red tape and insults, Erin Brockovich managed to bring the giant to its knees and secure a total of $333 million. The story, we are told, is true. The film, efficiently directed by Steven Soderbergh, was very well received by American critics, who for once were in agreement with the public. It is one of Julia Roberts’ finest roles, earning her an Oscar (the only one of her career). The Oscar for Best Director that year went to... Steven Soderbergh, but for another film (Traffic). As for the real Erin Brockovich, she founded a consulting firm specialised in asbestos damage and has hosted several television programmes on environmental issues. The title of her autobiography sums it all up: "Life is a fight, but you can win it." (François Forestier; nouvelobs.com)