SYNOPSIS

This gripping drama directed by Mike Nichols tells the true story of nuclear processing plant technician, union activist and famed whistleblower Karen Silkwood, played by Meryl Streep in another of her powerhouse performances. When she's not punching a time clock at the Kerr-McGee plant where she works, Karen spends her life killing time in the rural Oklahoma house she shares with boyfriend Drew (Kurt Russell) and roommate Dolly (Cher), both of whom are co-workers. Little by little Karen is awakened to the unsavory practices within her company and its efforts to conceal health and workplace hazards that have potentially disastrous effects. As she becomes increasingly involved with efforts to uncover the dangers she and her co-workers are exposed to daily, she suddenly finds herself contaminated with radiation and living in a paranoid world in which she doesn't know whom to trust. Killed in a suspicious car accident in 1974 on her way to meet with a New York Times reporter, Karen Silkwood would not live to share her story with the world. This riveting and important film, however, does tell Karen's story and lets viewers draw their own conclusions on what exactly happened to this fascinating and brave woman.

CAST AND CREW

Director: Mike Nichols
Producers: Mike Nichols and Michael Hausman
Writers: Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen
Cinematography: Miroslav Ondricek
Art Direction: Patrizia Von Brandenstein
Editing: Sam O'Steen
Music: Georges Delerue
Cast: Meryl Streep (Karen Silkwood), Kurt Russell (Drew Stephens), Cher (Dolly Pelliker), Craig T. Nelson (Winston), Diana Scarwid (Angela), Fred Ward (Morgan), Ron Silver (Paul Stone), Sudie Bond (Thelma Rice), Bruce McGill (Mace Hurley)
C - 143 min.

Why SILKWOOD is Essential

The success of Silkwood helped establish Cher as a serious actress. Cher, who had always been known as a singer and TV personality up to that point, had a glamorous over-the-top image from which fans had trouble separating her. With her outstanding performance as Karen Silkwood's lesbian roommate Dolly, Cher finally made people believe, after years of hard work, that there was genuine acting talent underneath all the sequins, makeup and wigs that had made her a fashion icon. She received an Academy Award nomination for her work, and it put her on the path to a string of successful films including her Oscar®-winning turn in 1987's Moonstruck.

Silkwood drew attention to Karen Silkwood's story so that something useful could be taken away from it, whether it be heightening awareness of nuclear issues or making people think about workplace health and safety issues.

Thanks to a strong screenplay, confident direction and outstanding performances, Silkwood was a standout among films from the 1980s. Its issue-based story revolving around a working class nuclear plant whistleblower was a hard sell for mass public acceptance, but the film was embraced by audiences and went on to earn five Academy Award nominations.

Silkwood was the first screenplay written by Nora Ephron (co-written with Alice Arlen), one of the most successful female screenwriters and directors of all time. The success of the film was crucial in establishing her in the film industry. Having started her career as a journalist, Ephron used her experiences as a reporter and as a woman to inform the script, which resulted in a rich multilayered depiction of incredibly well-written characters that earned her first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Ephron later went on to pen screenplays including When Harry Met Sally (1989) along with Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and Julie and Julia (2009), the last two of which she also directed.

Before Silkwood, director Mike Nichols had endured an eight year absence from directing feature films. Silkwood helped put him back on the Hollywood map and earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director since 1967's The Graduate.

The role of Karen Silkwood was a new kind of character for the incredibly talented Meryl Streep. Streep at that time was already a two-time Academy Award winner and had nothing to prove. She was associated with playing well-to-do types and challenging period characters. Silkwood gave her an altogether new challenge to play a smart, tenacious working class girl in 1970s Oklahoma. Streep, of course, tackled it with gusto and earned her fifth Academy Award nomination for it.

by Andrea Passafiume