"ERIN BROCKOVICH"
A STORY OF COURAGE AND ENVIRONMENT
By Nevin Ulusoy
“ERIN BROCKOVICH” – A STORY OF COURAGE AND ENVIRONMENT
Our world, this unique planet is all we have as home, our shelter, the one and only in the universe. In these days that we have lots of concern on climate change, we see it better that we have to look after our home much more carefully and in a much more sensitive way. Our lives, the lives of future generations entirely depend on nature around us. It is absolutely necessary to live according to the instincts of nature, leaving ourselves to its rules and becoming more of ourselves as we do it, as we are sons and daughters of nature. The system that we live in, the system that wants to let us survive only as a part of it requires us behave according to its rules, even if it kills us, poisons us, together with nature. “Erin Brockovich” is a real story of a fight with the system and people who defend them.
A single parent with three children, a young woman who has to fight alone in this battle of survival with no proper education, trying to find a job suitable for herself and we have the beginning of the story of “Erin Brockovich.” People, especially women think that she does not dress decently and the language she uses is not acceptable. Erin wants to live her life according to her own rules. She becomes a legal assistant and she is really hard-working. As she goes through some papers, she sees some health reports which she thinks irrelevant and she starts searching. There seems to be a problem with a huge company. Most of the people who live in the neighbourhood have cancer, but the company insists that they are not the cause of it. Erin finds these people, talks to them, searches about the company and find out that they give huge harm to environment. The company is accused of polluting the city’s water supply. Nobody wants to believe in Erin, that they can win the case, but she never stops fighting, encouraging the people, night and day.
In these days that we have lots of concern on climate change, we see it better that we have to look after our home much more carefully and in a much more sensitive way. Our lives, the lives of future generations entirely depend on nature around us.
The film was directed by Steven Soderbergh in 2000. The music which makes the film more fascinating was composed by Thomas Newman. Julie Roberts is especially dazzling in her role of Erin and it is no wonder she won the Oscar for Best Actress in a leading role in 2001. She was also the winner of Golden Globe and BAFTA. This wonderful film reminds us that we must fight for our home,no matter how hard it seems. Being ourselves and not caring for other people’s opinions, like Erin and working for a better world, for us and everbody else,that is the way to deserve this wonderful planet, our shelter.
