Minamata (film)
[4] Filming began in January 2019, with Bill Nighy, Minami Hinase, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Ryo Kase and Jun Kunimura added to the cast.[12] The city of Minamata, Kumamoto, declined to lend its name as a supporter to a local screening held in August 2021 organized by volunteers, prior to the nationwide release of the film in Japan in September 2021.[19] TheWrap stated that "Moments of connection and the power of photography to tell a story shine through, though there are also instances where the cinematic storytelling becomes a bit heavy-handed" calling Depp's performance as "his most tender, most mature work in years".[24] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said that "Minamata is a forthright, heartfelt movie, an old-fashioned 'issue picture' with a worthwhile story to tell about how communities can stand up to overweening corporations and how journalists dedicated to truthful news can help them" awarding the film three out of five stars.[25] Deborah Young from The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "Director Andrew Levitas and his co-screenwriters dramatize a riveting story using a mass of groan-worthy genre clichés that ill-serve the truth they are trying to recreate".[26] She did give positive remarks about Depp's performance as "he effortlessly captures the bohemian contrariness of the brilliant war photographer Gene Smith as he approaches the end of his career plagued by debts, alcohol, nightmares and disillusionment".Collider stated that Minamata is "well paced, beautifully filmed and does have an appealing classic feel to it, but it still lacks that spark to propel it from informative to all-consuming" while reporting that Depp "does manage to successfully convey the complexities of Eugene's current headspace and how this assignment unearths his early determination".