Film Assessment: Silkwood (1983) | The Ace Black Film Weblog

Style: Biographical Drama  
Director: Mike Nichols  
Starring: Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, Cher, Craig T. Nelson, Fred Ward, Diana Scarwid  
Operating Time: 131 minutes  

Synopsis: It is the Nineteen Seventies in Oklahoma, and Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep) is a technician at a producing plant for plutonium rods. Her co-workers embody her accomplice Drew (Kurt Russell) and finest buddy and housemate Dolly (Cher). Coaching and security requirements on the plant are lax, and workers are ceaselessly uncovered to radiation, though most of them are simply glad to have a job. A union decertification effort and several other contamination scares immediate Karen to change into energetic in making an attempt to enhance security, putting her in battle with each administration and colleagues.

What Works Effectively: Primarily based on precise occasions, that is an in-depth take a look at blue collar life, with Meryl Streep excelling within the conflicted, lived-in position of a would-be whistleblower. Removed from glamourizing Karen Silkwood, director Mike Nichols and writers Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen create a warts-and-all portrait of a working class girl engaged within the every day grind of a thankless job, bruised by a divorce and separation from her children, and having fun with a relationship with Drew and the ups and downs of a friendship with Dolly. As soon as she begins to care about security at work, her already ramshackle residence life begins to disintegrate, testing all her commitments. 

What Does Not Work As Effectively: The stability tilts closely in the direction of home points, decreasing Karen’s seek for solutions on the plant to a couple scenes of note-taking and cupboard looking out. The views of colleagues are short-changed into conventional chilly shouldering, whereas administration (heartless) and union (self-serving) leaders are painted with singular colors.

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