Like most of the people in her town, Karen Silkwood worked at the local nuclear plant producing highly radioactive plutonium. Exposed one day to a lethal dose of radiation, Karen faces the blank walls of corporate indifference and denial whilst coming to terms that she will suffer a painful and lingering death as a result of company negligence. As her illness increases, her protest grows louder and she becomes an obvious danger to the powers that be. But Karen is too spirited to be silenced and takes on the plant with devasting consequences. Written by Nora Ephorn and with a star studded cast including Oscar winners Meryl Streep, Cher and Kurt Russell this is the remarkable and poignant true story of one woman's struggle to tell the truth at all costs.
Directed by
Mike Nichols
Written by
Nora Ephron (written by) & Alice Arlen (written by)
Starring
Meryl Streep (Karen Silkwood); Kurt Russell (Drew Stephens); Cher (Dolly Pelliker); Craig T. Nelson (Winston); Fred Ward (Morgan); Diana Scarwid (Angela); Ron Silver (Paul Stone); Charles Hallahan (Earl Lapin); Josef Sommer (Max Richter); Sudie Bond (Thelma Rice); Henderson Forsythe (Quincy Bissell); E. Katherine Kerr (Gilda Schultz); Bruce McGill (Mace Hurley); David Strathairn (Wesley); J.C. Quinn (Curtis Schultz). Please contact SFC to add other cast members and characters.
Important: the following essays and comments are authored by Soul Food Cinema readers. Whilst the Editor prays for the spiritual integrity of all content of this site, it should be noted that these represent personal opinions and carry no official endorsement. If you consider any content to be a misrepresentation of Catholic teaching, please contact SFC. May God bless you and enlighten you in your reading.
-
Articles, Essays and Reviews
-
Please contact SFC if you are interested in submitting an essay on this film.
-
Readers' Comments and Opinions
-
Click the link to comment on this film. You may like to copy the film title and year (as given above) to your clipboard now for pasting into the following form.