Maps of Movies

Minamata (2020)

Where Minamata says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

A story set in a Japanese bay town, filmed in Japan, Serbia and Montenegro — and the exact film sets are not on record.

Scenes and places

The editor's office at Life (1971)

Smith, once Life's most famous photographer, has turned into a broke recluse. He asks his editor Robert Hayes to speak at his exhibition and is turned down; Hayes hands him an overdue royalty cheque and tells him not to waste the time he has left.

Set in Life magazine offices (United States) — The magazine office where Smith confronts his editor Robert Hayes.

The opening is set in 1971 at Life, the magazine Smith made his name in; the sources give no city or street for the office.

Aileen knocks on Smith's door (1971)

Smith is packing up and selling his equipment when Aileen arrives with a photographer for a Fujifilm advert. Over a long evening she tells him about a chemical company in Japan that has been dumping toxic waste into the sea, and asks him to come to a shareholders' meeting.

Set in W. Eugene Smith's home (United States) — The place where Smith is selling off his things when Aileen turns up.

The sources give no address for Smith's home in the film.

Back at Life: the mercury story (1971)

Smith storms in on a layout meeting and demands that Life cover the mercury poisoning in Minamata. Hayes finally agrees to send him, on the condition that he does not disappear again.

Set in Life magazine offices (United States) — Smith returns to the office and pushes for the Minamata story.

Same office as the opening scene; the sources give no city.

A night in the Matsumura home (1971)

Smith and Aileen arrive in Minamata and are taken in by a family. Smith asks to photograph their eldest daughter Akiko, who has been sick since birth, and meets the activists of the Direct Negotiations Group.

Set in Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan — The coastal town where Smith meets the patients and their families. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Minamata is a town in Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu; the exact house in the film is not given in the sources.

Inside the Chisso plant (1971)

Smith and Aileen sneak into the company's lab and find a record showing that cats fed with the plant's pipe water reacted like the patients. Later Smith is brought in to meet a Chisso executive, who offers him money.

Set in Chisso plant, Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan — The chemical company at the centre of the poisoning. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Chisso is the chemical company linked to the industrial pollution behind Minamata disease.

Characters

• W. Eugene Smith — An American photographer famous for his Life photo essays, who has become a recluse.
• Aileen — A Japanese interpreter who urges Smith to visit Minamata and document the disease.
• Robert Hayes — Smith's editor at Life.

Questions answered on the map

• Where in Japan is the town of Minamata?