The strength of Out of Plain Sight is that it dramatically illustrates both the importance and process of science and journalism, at a time when both are under attack. Science communication is no easy task, but the film achieves it by revealing the stakes, explaining the history through jaw-dropping archival footage, and then taking us along as the clues are investigated and revealed. There are real revelations, and you get the sense of the hard work it takes to uncover the sins of the past and make the invisible visible.
I have heard one minor criticism of Out of Plain Sight — that it is too depressing. It is impossible to clean up the DDT lurking in the ocean, so the film can leave you feeling kind of helpless. I thoroughly reject this criticism. Sticking our heads in the sand is no solution. We don’t even know the full extent of the problem, so continued research and reporting are the only ways forward. This subject also has direct impacts on current public policy. Corporations are constantly creating new chemicals with unknown effects that are considered safe until proven otherwise. And we are only starting to understand the persistence and impact of other “forever chemicals,” many of which are still in use.
“…chilling but powerful and enlightening.”
Out of Plain Sight is an important and engaging documentary that should be under consideration for an Academy Award nomination. I hope it quickly finds distribution because the message needs to be heard, and the way it does science communication should be a model for future filmmakers.
Out of Plain Sight won the Audience Choice Award at the 2025 Santa Barbara International Film Festival and was also nominated for the Fund for Santa Barbara Social Justice Award. Out of Plain Sight is the opening night film for the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival.
"…dramatically illustrates both the importance and process of science and journalism, at a time when both are under attack. "
