"By declining to lie, even so far as possible to himself, and by his determination to seek elusive but verifiable truth, he showed how much can be accomplished by an individual who unites the qualities of intellectual honesty and moral courage." A description of writer George Orwell from Christopher Hitchens

I watched two films this week, based on true stories, in which the lead character displayed moments of intellectual honesty and moral courage. Director Jan Troell's "The Last Sentence" (2012) is a biopic based on the life of Swedish journalist Torgny Segerstedt. An emotionally distant man, he was nevertheless outspoken in his opposition to Adolph Hitler and the rise of Fascism. Segerstedt was editor-in-chief of a Swedish newspaper in 1933 when he began publishing editorials condemning Hitler.

Sweden espoused a policy of neutrality throughout World War II and was never invaded by Germany. While the Swedes sold Germany metals to manufacture weapons, it also took in Jewish refugees and allowed the Allies to train resistance fighters on its soil. The moral argument in the film is whether the Swedish approach was shrewd and pragmatic or amounted to collaboration with an evil regime. Segerstadt believed that "silence is acquiescence" and would brook no compromise. "The Last Sentence" is currently streaming on Fandor.

"Dark Waters" (2019), directed by Todd Haynes, features a protagonist who undergoes a moral conversion. Attorney Robert Bilott, who makes a cameo appearance in the film, was working on behalf of chemical corporations when he was approached by a West Virginian farmer. The chemical manufacturer Dupont had built a landfill upstream from his property that poisoned his cattle. Bilott begins looking into the matter and discovers malfeasance on the part of Dupont. His civil action against Dupont lasted decades but Bilott ultimately triumphed in exposing Dupont's environmental crimes and winning compensation for the victims. Actor Mark Ruffalo is entirely believable as Bilott. This is the type of whistleblower/political thriller at which American filmmakers excel.


Here's the latest article from the Drama Movies site at BellaOnline.com.

Retornos Film Review
A character-based drama in the guise of noir, "Retornos" tells the story of a man haunted by the death of his lover and the disintegration of his family. Starring Xavier Estevez, this debut feature from writer-director Luis Aviles Baquero is an unpretentious gem.


http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art307226.asp

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Angela K. Peterson, Drama Movies Editor
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