Director Watch Podcast Ep. 6 – ‘Dark Waters’ (Haynes, 2019)

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 6 of the Director Watch Podcast, they are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Nicole Ackman to discuss the final film in their Todd Haynes series, Dark Waters (2019).

On the surface, Dark Waters may seem like an odd choice for Todd Haynes to direct, making the project almost seem like a “director for hire” situation. But once you dive into this legal thriller, the more of Haynes you will find. In a story about an environmental lawyer who puts everything on the line to expose DuPont, one of the world’s largest chemical companies, of a lengthy history of pollution, Haynes dives into not just how the danger threatens everyone in the local small towns that are being poisoned by DuPont, but the millions of people around the world using their products. In doing this, Haynes makes a visually striking, cynical drama about one man’s endless such for accountability.

Led by Haynes’s excellent direction, Ryan, Jay, and Nicole discuss Mark Ruffalo’s performance, Ed Lachman’s bold cinematography, which character actors stand out in the cast, if Anne Hathaway’s performance is underwritten, and if Dark Waters is the most underrated gem from 2019 film year. 

Warning, the audio to this episode was damaged but that still shouldn’t stop you from listening to this fantastic, fun conversation.

You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.

This podcast runs 1h28m. The guys will be back next week to begin their Denis Villeneuve series with a look at Incendies. Till then, let’s get into it.

Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

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Ryan McQuade

Ryan McQuade is the AwardsWatch Executive Editor and a film-obsessed writer in San Antonio, Texas. Raised on musicals, westerns, and James Bond, his taste in cinema is extremely versatile. He’s extremely fond of independent releases and director’s passion projects. Engrossed with all things Oscars, he hosts the AwardsWatch Podcast. He also is co-host of the Director Watch podcast. When he’s not watching movies, he’s rooting on all his favorite sports teams, including his beloved Texas Longhorns. You can follow him on Twitter at @ryanmcquade77.

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