I saw SILKWOOD when I was 13 years old, and it left such an unforgettable impression. It was the first time I understood that a government and politicians can and do willfully hurt their citizens. It was also the first time I understood that people who speak and live their truth are often punished for it.
The physical punishment endured by Karen Silkwood, an employee at a nuclear plant with criminally lax safety procedures, in the form of radiation contamination in her lungs and digestive tract, harsh skin scrub showers, and even the manner of her demise - it's all made me wonder if we're actually changed by the extreme reality of someone's physical experience.
I can't imagine what it must've been like to endure all of that pain, while also being psychologically harassed for being a whistleblower. And sometimes, we need to see what we can't imagine. That's when it hit me: environmental horror films. A horror remake of SILKWOOD. It might be the only way to truly reach people.
Recent examples of such an approach are seen in films like GET OUT, US, ANTEBELLUM, and television shows like THEM, where we are not only witness to the systemic racism experienced by black people in the United States—we are submerged as much as possible as an audience *into* the experience of being black in America. We are no longer witness. We are participant, either as torturer or tortured, or both.
It seems to me that such an approach is perfect for conveying the ultimate environmental message: we're not merely witnesses to climate change and its devastating effects—we're active participants, both as victims and perpetrators.
Notes:
- I'm not necessarily advocating for an exact remake of SILKWOOD. Loosely "based on" is more than sufficient.
- A retelling of environmental crimes as horror films is more than just plausible—it is called for.
- THE HAPPENING comes to mind as an environmental horror film. Are there others?
