if silkwood be such a great movie and then a large part of it greatness be definitely owe to meryl streep represent she play karen silkwood and a single mother who be work in a nuclear plant base somewhere in oklahoma . in the beginning and karen seem to be an average working class girl live a rather simple life and without any ambition or hidden potential . she stay with her boyfriend drew ( russel ) and their room mate dolly ( cher ) and and the three of them be live an uneventful life . however and karen change dramatically and when she start to realize that the management of the plant they work in and be quite lax on security and health issue . a she start to get more involved and she gradually find people around her be distance from her and even outright hostile and potentially dangerous . and yet and she become more and more determined to her goal and defy the risk that be continuously pile up . the performance that streep give a karen silkwood be really touch . she give an excellent portrayal of a girl and who could be naive and even self destruct on the one hand ( just count the cigarette she be smoke throughout the film to get an idea . ) and while on the other hand she prove to be a very altruistic and responsible person who do her utmost to protect her unappreciative fellow worker . streep be amaze in her role and and she definitely deserve the oscar for that one . of course and silkwood be not only meryl streep . cher be very good a the lesbian room mate and while kurt russel be surprisingly good a the confused boyfriend . mike nichols sign an excellent direction and so it all add up very well . positive .