“Movie Reflection: Erin Brockovich”

The movie tells the true to life story of Erin Brockovich starred by Julia Roberts. Erin
Brokovich was a single mom with three kids, and two ex-husbands. She struggled to get an
employment and unfortunately got involved in a car accident which caused her medical bills to
stack up. After numerous applications to different jobs and losing her suit against the driver, she
forced herself to get an employment in the firm of her lawyer.

During her work in the firm as a clerk, she was asked to set up a file for a pro bono real
estate case. While setting up the files, she stumbled upon medical records in the said case which
confused her as to why there were medical records included in the real estate case. After further
investigation, she discovered that the multi-million company Pacific Gas & Electric, who
proposed to buy the house and lot of the residents who were residing near the factory, was
responsible for the death and diseases in the town of Hinkley, California due to the
contamination of water with hexavalent chromium, a poisonous substance which could cause
multiple diseases such as asthma, respiratory irritation, kidney damage, liver damage, respiratory
cancer, skin irritation et. al.

Between 1952 and 1966, the company used the said substance in a cooling water system
to avoid corrosion, but because of improper construction the wastewater contaminated the
waters, affecting an area of approximately 2 square miles near the plant. However, PG&E never
informed the residents of Hinkley of the danger posed by the substance stating that it was
harmless. Because of the resident’s ignorance of the dangers posed by the substance, they
declined the offer of the company to buy their property and continued to reside in the vicinity of
the plant. After careful investigation, Erin and Masry was able to form a lawsuit against the
company. Fortunately, the residents of Hinkely were rewarded with 333 million dollars, the
largest settlement paid in a direct-action lawsuit in US history.

This film raised the awareness of problems with water control and how little attention is
given to it. The film helped me become more aware of the importance of being conscious in
terms of water control because we will also be the ones who will suffer when we take it for
granted. There are many prominent themes about water in the film. One is the covering up of the
contaminated water by PG&E. One thing I also noticed in the film, which was quite disturbing,
was how a big company could easily get away with the consequences of their actions due to their
monetary value adding to the influence they have with the government, and their ability to hire
exceptional lawyers to win cases.

The film also gave importance of water in relation with health and wealth. With regard to
health, the film clearly showed the importance of how contaminated water can cause health
problems. In the case of the Hinkley residents, they were unaware that they were drinking
contaminated water because of hexavalent chromium. These complications were clearly shown
in the movie while Erin was going door-to-door to the residents of the Hinkley and listening
about all the health issues they are going through because of the contaminated water. Water is an
essential part of life, but when it becomes harmful it can be dangerous to the society.
 With regard to wealth, no amount of money could compensate for a good health. It can be
seen in the movie how the multi-million company took advantage of the residents because they
were of low income. The residents did not have the money to fight against PG&E.

It’s hard to believe how a small private firm could go against a big company who could
easily hire big firms and bury them with paper work and never win the case, even though such
company is liable. As I was watching the movie, I was inspired how Erin really fought for justice
despite how it seemed impossible to achieve because of all the complexities and circumstances
invloved. Despite her lack of background in law school, she really fought for justice after seeing
how desperate the situation of the people in Hinkley are.

After watching the movie, I realized that it’s not an easy task to fight for the good of the
environment especially as I look at our situation in the Philippines. Many of the people are yet to
be educated about the importance of taking care of the environment. But like Erin, I think this
can be achieved.