The movie Erin Brockovich, directed in 2000 by Steven Soderberg, is about a woman of the same name who went out of her way to help people in Hinkley, CA, who had contracted many diseases because of what was in their water (Erin Brockovich). Some people had even died. The utility company PG&E was polluting the groundwater with something called Chromium 6, which is a carcinogen, and in high doses can be deadly and can cause different kinds of cancers, especially lung cancer since Chromium 6 affects the lungs most ("Questioning").
Erin Brockovich came upon some files in a real estate folder, which also contained different medical histories of people from Hinkley. There were also copies of letters that PG&E sent out to the people in the area. They misled the people and mentioned that the chromium was under control and was completely safe (Erin Brockovich). In real life, Erin is dyslexic, which is not mentioned in the movie. She had been looking at the numbers on all the papers enclosed; and, since she comprehends such things in a matter differently from the way the way most people do, she realized that a lot of the numbers were off. She then decided she would figure out what had truly happened with the people contained in the file. Not only did she just help the people, but also she practically remembered all the important information concerning the people of Hinkley ("Questioning").
One of my favorite scenes in the movie is evident when PG&E's lawyers are in a meeting with Erin (Julia Roberts) and Ed Masry (Albert Finney). Some glasses of water are brought out for the lawyers to drink, and as they are about to drink, Erin in brings up that the water was taken straight from a faucet in Hinkley, CA. The second the lawyers hear this they put the glasses back down which pretty much proves they themselves do not trust the company they are "defending" (Erin Brockovich). This part of the movie has some truth in it; but, instead of it happening in a meeting, it happened in court and in front of the judge ("Questioning").
When Erin and Ed thought about who would play them if a movie was made, the last person they thought would make a good Erin was Julia Roberts. Erin recalls a conversation with Ed about him not thinking Julia could play her. When Erin found out that Julia was going to play her she was excited, even though they were a little surprised ("Questioning"). I think that Julia Roberts was a great portrayer of Erin Brockovich. I could not imagine anyone else in the role; and I am sure that, once they saw the move, they felt the same way. I really enjoyed the movie, and I love finding out more about the real person who had done such a bold act.
"Erin Brockovich: Questioning the Story." Reel Faces Index 2006