Toxic Actions: Women and Water in A Civil Action and Erin Brockovich

In a classic scene from the film Erin Brockovich, the title character convinces a mother that her local water supply has been contaminated by toxic chemicals. The mother initially denies that she may have been lied to by Pacific Gas & Electric, the energy company suspected of the pollution, and the doctor paid for by that same company. In a wrenching moment, the mother springs from her chair, rushes outside, and pulls her daughters from the pool as she realizes the water may be making them sick.

Two films released at the turn-of-the-century show communities aroused over the contamination of their water supplies and their efforts to receive justice. Based on the bestselling book, A Civil Action (1998) stars John Travolta as an attorney representing the people of Woburn, Massachusetts in their fight with corporate polluters. In Erin Brockovich (2000), Julia Roberts won an academy award for her portrayal Brockovich, who helped gain retribution for the families in Hinkley, California. Both films center on communities whose water has been contaminated, and both films focus on the legal arena in addressing the contamination. While the capitalists appear to be the “bad guys,” the films offer a more complicated, and troubling, understanding of capitalism and neo-liberalism. An examination of the films, reviews, and public discourse surrounding the cases and movies reveal the problematic portrayal of activism, capitalism, and erasure of women from the screen. These stories of unseen threats normalize even as they disrupt the policies of the neo-liberal state.