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Erin Brockovich (2000) by Steven Soderbergh

The central problem that the movie describes is what Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) did with its waste by product of Hexavalent Chromium, also known as Chromium(VI). According to both the movie and real life, PG&E supposedly improperly disposed and/or stored of their Chromium(VI) and knew about the issue in recovered papers stating that they knew. As a result of their negligence, the population of Hinkley, California was drinking water than was contaminated with Chromium(VI) which caused quite several health related problems for a great deal of, if not all the population.


 * __**Economical**__ **-** The company did not want to pay the settlement at all costs. If i recall, the company did some sort of cost benefit analysis and determined that it would be cost effective if they just shut down the entire plant itself rather than worry about the damage that they had caused to the people and maybe to the environment, but the environment was not a issue noted in either the movie or real life.
 * **__Educational__ -** The victims showed in the movie did not seem to have the highest degree of education, maybe only a handful even a high school diploma. The did not know and did not suspect that the water that they were using for everything the did like cooking or swimming in the pool would cause sever health problems. If Brockovich did not enter the town and investigate, and ask tons of questions to the people, no one would have known how or why they were getting sick.
 * **__Legal__ -** If Brockovich did not get the signatures of over 1,000 people in the area, i doubt that there would even be a legal challenge made. This is the classic case of "David versus Goliath." If i recall, even though she got 1,000 people to sign, she was only able to sue on the behalf of not even a quater of the people who signed. Depending on the outcome of the first trial, she and her partners would decide whether or not they would proceed forward in continuing to sue on behalf of the rest of the people.

The film did compel me to try to find some more information about the court case. In fact, if i can recall correctly i was able to find and watch the episode talking about the Erin Brockovich case on was A&E's American Justice.

For the most part the film only shows the perspective of the victusms and of Brockovich. Maybe towards the end of the film do you see the company itself but you mostly see their position on the matter from their lawyers. The film is not really balanced in terms that it basically only showed the position of one of the sides involved with the matter at hand.

In terms of enhance scientific literacy the movie really only explained what Chronium can do to the human body. The movie does not preach the viewer but did a good job that the company is responsible for what happened to the population. I am unable to recall a image or example that could stick with the viewers mostly because most of the issues caused by Chronium for the most part harmed the people internally and would not be noticed physically for the most part.