t the Kerr McGee Corporation’s Cimarron Facility, Nuclear Division, three good friends (and roommates) arrive for work. As trained technicians in the dry processing of plutonium, Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep) and Dolly Pelliker (Cher, in a wonderfully understated performance) work with radioactive materials, though they’re apparently safely behind glass barriers. Karen’s boyfriend Drew Stephens (Kurt Russell) also works in the building (with fuel rods), whom they meet up with briefly during lunch break. Although the job is menial and requires long hours, they don’t seem to mind it much; plus, there’s little choice in their small midwestern town near Oklahoma City.

Occasionally, alarm bells go off, but they’re always routine tests – which the employees jokingly wish were real, potentially affording them the weekend off. Between lengthy shifts, Karen visits Texas where her three young children live, but this causes additional woes, as her ex-husband has a bit too much control over them and is now slated to move even further away due to his job. Once they return from one particular weekend vacation, Karen learns that there was a contamination in her section and that coworkers are blaming her, believing she may have orchestrated the scenario in a scheme to force a closure at the plant. But even without the mild contempt from her fellow technicians, everyone remains perpetually worried about unsafe exposures that could lead to cancer.

The first act of “Silkwood” is all about building characters. Plenty of establishing shots and details inform audiences about the nuclear dangers lurking in the background, but director Mike Nichols’ initial goal is to craft personas that audiences will be invested in – a wise choice that ensures an emotional connection by the time the inevitable disasters commence. Thanks to an exceptional cast, as well as natural scripting in part by Nora Ephron, these roles feel real; their conversations, observations, idiosyncrasies, and even mannerisms are quite genuine, exploring average blue-collar laborers – something rarely seen on the big screen with this much heart. And as any good drama knows, the prioritization of designing sympathetic leads is essential. Here, supporting roles are comparably believable, despite some serving solely to populate a premise based on actual events – from background employees with minimal speaking lines to strict bosses to union leaders (a subplot nodding to “Norma Rae,” which “Silkwood” steadily parallels), played by recognizable actors like Craig T. Nelson, Fred Ward, Bruce McGill, David Strathairn, M. Emmet Walsh, James Rebhorn, Bill Cobbs, and more.

“Do you feel different about me, since I got cooked?” The film takes its time to get into the cinematic aspects, but it’s never uninteresting; the nuanced performances, the politics, specific procedures, relationship drama (and the deterioration of relationships), and conflicting feelings on controversial policies at the facility all nicely compound for a significant, emotional impact. it eschews thrills (though this would come naturally with threats of radiation poisoning) for the sake of examining the human condition, which is regularly more engaging than the corrupt, hazardous, and conspiratorial inner-workings of the plant. Nevertheless, as a biographical account, which chronicles and exposes the failings of the nuclear industry and the suspicious circumstances of Karen’s outcome, “Silkwood” is compelling and infuriating. Yet it’s the performances that will stay with viewers for far longer than the shocking conclusion, especially considering the uncertainties surrounding her irresolute ending.

– Mike Massie