The Laundromat (2019)
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The film explores the global impact of the Panama Papers scandal through three interconnected stories of corruption and deception.
The story
Lawyers Jürgen Mossack and Ramón Fonseca introduce the concept of money and credit while narrating three stories of individuals worldwide affected by their company, Mossack Fonseca. The first story follows Ellen Martin, who seeks compensation after a boating accident leads her to a Nevis-based company linked to Mossack's shell corporations. The second follows Simone, who discovers her best friend's affair with an African billionaire and is offered worthless shares in a shell company. The third dramatizes the death of Neil Heywood, an intermediary for wealthy Chinese individuals looking to funnel money abroad.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Lawyers Jürgen Mossack and Ramón Fonseca narrate three stories of people harmed by their firm, Mossack Fonseca. Ellen Martin seeks compensation for her husband's death in a boating accident, only to find the reinsurance company is a trust of a Mossack shell corporation under IRS investigation. After failing to get answers, she travels to Nevis to confront the trust's manager, Malchus Boncamper, who lies to her before being arrested in Miami. Simone, daughter of an African billionaire, is offered worthless shares in a shell company to keep her silent about her best friend's affair with her father. The third story depicts the murder of Neil Heywood (Maywood), a money launderer for wealthy Chinese interests, who is poisoned by Gu Kailai after demanding more money. Gu reports the incident to police chief Wang Lijun, leading to the arrest of Gu and her husband Bo Xilai. The film concludes with the leaking of the Panama Papers, police raids on Mossack Fonseca, and the firm's shutdown. Mossack and Fonseca, along with Meryl Streep as herself, remind viewers that money laundering via shell companies remains widespread, ending with Streep calling for US campaign finance reforms.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steven Soderbergh
- Writers
- Scott Z. Burns · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Meryl Streep · Elena; Gary Oldman; Antonio Banderas; Robert Patrick; Jeffrey Wright; David Schwimmer; Matthias Schoenaerts; James Cromwell; Sharon Stone
- Genres
- comedy-drama; crime comedy; crime drama
- Themes
- corruption; money laundering; socio-economic inequality; deception
- Tone and mood
- playful; wonkish; brittle; arch; pulpy
- Premise and plot tags
- based on actual events; business; crime; political commentary; social satire
- Source material / true-story basis
- Secrecy World about the Panama Papers scandal by author Jake Bernstein
- Content notes
- brownface
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising the cast and others criticizing the blunt and unfocused approach to the subject matter.
- Production trivia
- The film was the subject of a defamation lawsuit by the real-life Mossack Fonseca law firm partners.; The Panamanian government expressed strong objections to the film's release.; The film was released on Netflix after a limited theatrical run.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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