Strong Island (2017)

Strong Island: Directed by Yance Ford. With Yance Ford, Harvey Walker, Kevin Myers, Lauren Ford. When filmmaker Yance Ford investigates the 1992 murder of a young black man, it becomes an achingly personal journey since the victim, 24-year-old William Ford Jr., was the filmmaker’s brother.

“Okay, it would be a stretch to label this as underrated. It was nominated for a best documentary Oscar and received a good deal of acclaim from the critics at least. But on IMDB itu0026#39;s got a surprisingly low user score, as well as not nearly the number of votes it deserves. Itu0026#39;s on Netflix and therefore likely buried under so many other true crime documentaries, but itu0026#39;s easily one of the better ones. Itu0026#39;s maybe the best film of this sub-genre Iu0026#39;ve seen since the absolutely heartbreaking u0026#39;Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Fatheru0026#39; from 2008.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe emotional impact of Strong Island is similar to Dear Zachary. Maybe not in exactly the same manner, but it hits hard and seems explicitly designed to provoke strong emotional reactions from its audience. Itu0026#39;s an achingly, almost uncomfortably personal story about director Yance Ford recounting the circumstances of his brotheru0026#39;s death, way back in the early 1990s, interviewing the people who knew him best as well as effectively interviewing himself in parts. It was a risky move, becoming more than a narrator, though not in the occasionally grating way that Michael Moore or Morgan Spurlock often do in their documentaries. What Ford does here feels more honest, and much braver. Those other two often have an ironic, u0026#39;hipu0026#39; sort of detachment to what theyu0026#39;re talking about, but Ford doesnu0026#39;t hold back at all. Itu0026#39;s confrontational, even at times to the audience, and maybe thatu0026#39;s turned some people off. But I found myself respecting the decision. Ford talks about things in a way that 99.9% of people would be too afraid to, and when the subject matter is as serious as it is here, itu0026#39;s more than understandable.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s not a fast-paced movie, but I wouldnu0026#39;t call it slow, which is a common and somewhat confusing criticism Iu0026#39;ve seen on here. The running time felt just about perfect- not too long, but not too brisk, and even if you find yourself restless here and there, itu0026#39;s worth it for the stunning last couple of scenes; particularly the very ending, which left me with a sizeable lump in my throat.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere isnu0026#39;t a whole lot to criticise. I loved how stark the first 20 or so minutes felt with no music of any kind, but eventually a fairly traditional score is utilised, and while the music isnu0026#39;t bad, I really liked the empty, gut-wrenching feeling that the music-free atmosphere conjured up. Maybe some people will call this documentary biased too, but that didnu0026#39;t bother me. Itu0026#39;s as much an exploration of grief- and how a tragic event can tear apart a family- as it is a critique and expose of the flaws in the justice system. Even if youu0026#39;re not moved by the story of what happened to Fordu0026#39;s brother, or convinced that his killer wasnu0026#39;t acting in self-defence, the film is potentially even more compelling as a recounting of what happened to the people who knew him after his sudden death. If youu0026#39;re not at least a little saddened by learning of how his parents coped with his passing, or hearing about how close he was to achieving a dream job of his before his sudden death, then Iu0026#39;d be honestly shocked.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eStrong Island is a sometimes slowly paced, often very challenging film, that may or may not be too confrontational or u0026#39;biasedu0026#39; for some peopleu0026#39;s tastes, but I thought it was excellently constructed and emotionally powerful. I want to recommend it to as many people as I can, because I think that while it isnu0026#39;t perfect, it says a great deal about so many things, and has a very bold and compelling way of doing so. And as a movie thatu0026#39;s now on Netflix, youu0026#39;ve really got nothing to lose beyond about 107 minutes, and I can all but guarantee that if you go in with an open mind, youu0026#39;ll find at least something to respect or be moved by within that runtime.”