strong island review

Very misleading. I loved it for talking about the history, but hated it because there was time like this. Unlike a typical investigative doc, we feel deeply the burden of the storyteller, who tries to make sense of a personal tragedy and in doing so exposes a greater pain for us all to connect with. While being a well made and emotionally charged documentary, I completely failed to see the racial injustice in the story. I am fully aware that instances of racial injustice are an everyday occurrence in the U.S, however the only way you will see one in this film is if you want to. Despite clear evidence indicating who had killed William, a grand jury decided there was no case to answer. Building from his parents’ meeting and marriage in 1965, Ford uses intimate interviews alongside joyful family photo album inserts. "Strong Island" is one of the worst documentary features I have come across in many years. Ford excels, and shows us why we should be angry at America’s indifference to dead black men. Ford grew up as a woman but more recently transitioned as a man. Racial bias in the U.S. Is a daily occurrence for people of color. strong island message Proudly independent, our ethos is to quite simply be the best resource to promote, showcase and inform people about Portsmouth and Southsea’s arts & cultural scene. Strong Island (2017) - IMDb Directed by Yance Ford. Watched about 20 minutes of this and all it was telling me was a history of US racism. I thought this was supposed to be about a miscarriage of justice. External Reviews Try being a woman in a man's job or gay for a day in a straight workplace, then you'll have a taste of discrimination. Beautifully shot and full of subtle nuances, Strong Island is intriguing throughout. Ford demands our attention, even when he or his family admit to being less than perfect, or to laying out truths audiences might find difficult and complex. The constant reference to Racism in the families past was almost building up to some sort of mis-justice due to race or color but that didn't seem to be the case. Okay, it would be a stretch to label this as underrated. Strong Island review: a haunting memento of institutional racism and personal grief Yance Ford’s documentary feature is an intimate investigation of the death of his brother, and the legal injustice that followed, as both a family tragedy and an index of wider American malaise. Time was … Ford family photograph from Strong Island. Though this is his film, he’s interrogated by his own camera, questions his own answers, doubts himself, and even gets irritated at being forced to admit his own failings. It feels authentic, unrehearsed and painful. Photo: Cinereach Y ance Ford’s Strong Island unspools with a procedural-like seriousness as it investigates the 1992 killing of the filmmaker’s older brother, William Ford Jr., a 24-yeard-old African-American teacher and police officer-in-training who was shot by a white auto-mechanic while unarmed. Although this film moved slowly, I found the story to be compelling. It talks about the stories of family members who went through racism and have died from the ignorance of people who thought what they were doing was correct. Strong Island chronicles the arc of a family across history, geography and tragedy - from the racial segregation of the Jim Crow South to the promise of New York City; from the presumed safety of middle class suburbs, to the maelstrom of an unexpected, violent death. Some questions left unanswered: Who was Lesline and did the family get the car back. He was pause, pause, pause .......good. Being able to listen to Yance Ford speak about the care that was taken in the making of this film was amazing. 'Strong Island' clearly divides people. Set in the grounds of Lulworth Castle on the coast in Dorset, this would be the first year that Camp Bestival & Bestival would be back to back, one week after the other. Yance Ford’s extraordinary documentary on the murder of his brother is part journalistic examination, part devastating essay on grief for one black US family, Last modified on Mon 19 Jun 2017 11.57 BST. The film centers on the April 1992 murder of Ford's brother William, a 24-year-old African-American teacher in New York, who was killed by Mark P. Reilly, a 19-year-old white chop shop mechanic. My uncle was murdered, and it's just salt in the wound when you read articles about it and he is just a "victim". It just baffles me how some people here couldn't grasp this simple emotional-based point. I believe in black lives matter, white privilege, systemic racism, the injustice with which black men are treated...and I still don't like this decent looking, well-intentioned, but overtly manipulative doc. From its striking title to its incredible cinematography and art direction, Strong Island transports you to the very location where these chilling events took place. User Ratings Maybe you hear about that person that lost their life, maybe you make your assumptions about them, and maybe you move on with your day. And he produced and directed this movie which is about as personal a film anyone could ever make, a film investigating the 1992 murder of his brother, William Ford. Just my random thoughts after watching it. Was 1992 murder of a young black man due to racism or something else? | They spent most of it talking about useless info that you don't need to know and care even less about. "The police had turned my brother into the prime suspect in his own murder." Unfortunately this was painted to be a compelling story of mis-justice that was then solved or at least contested but it was nothing more than a diary or almost autobiography of someone we'd never heard of. We feel the burden of being survivors, especially for the children’s mother, whose personal history dominates the film. he anatomy of the murder of a black man in America is sadly a film format we’ve become accustomed to. This was almost a professionally shot YouTube video certainly not fit for mainstream Netflix. Breakfast, Catering, Unique Sandwiches, Burgers, and Paninis The director,s brother is killed by someone with whom he has only a sketchy history. The indifference shown to her at the grand jury, and her treatment by the police, as if she were the mother of a criminal rather than a victim, are repeated more than once. Both a personal documentary and a profound meditation on race in America, Strong Island – director Yance Fords’s debut feature – takes the viewer on a harrowing journey through crime and lack of punishment, exposing fault lines in our flawed judicial system that grow wider over time. Ford's parents moved to New York City as newlyweds, escaping the Jim Crow South. Ford grew up as a woman but more recently transitioned as a man. To a white person, the race factor is a point of contention, but we don,t know what it's like to have to better, brighter, than someone of a different race just to be in the running. A powerful deconstruction of race and grief, this bracingly honest documentary will stay with you for days. I wanted this to be The Thin Blue Line. Review – Strong Island September 16, 2017. This documentary makes me thankful I wasn't around in the time of more intense racism that beats African Americans down, because with the personality I have I feel I would have been killed already. But on IMDB it's got a surprisingly low user score, as well as not nearly the number of votes it deserves. A recommendation: Strong Island is enough of a true-crime project that you can expect a few late surprises, all of them devastating. The documentarian does waayyyyy too many really close up face shots while she's talking into the camera It was so cringey. References are made to the racism of the incident and possible implications in the investigation. You decide! Reilly then took out his legally-owned gun and shot William, killing him. Strong Island: Conclusion. Over 20 years later, Ford returns to the night of the killing and its subsequent apathetic investigation, and examines how the family responded to the killing and why nothing was the same afterwards. Review by K. Austin Collins. | The excellence of Strong Island is that it captures a family dynamic and intensity that is normally hard to depict. Sundance Film Review: ‘Strong Island’ Yance Ford has made a haunting cinematic memoir, but as an exploration of his brother's 1992 murder it's more meditation than investigation. We want to comfort him through the screen. Character after character repeats themselves in slow boring detail, while adding nothing to the narrative. It was nominated for a best documentary Oscar and received a good deal of acclaim from the critics at least. This is the story of Yance and his family, but it tells a bigger story, intelligently and with immaculate timing, for a US that (as seen in fellow Sundance documentary Whose Streets?) Parents need to know that Strong Island is a 2017 documentary chronicling the murder of the filmmaker's older brother in 1992 and the ensuing grief and racial injustice that devastated his family. FAQ It's on Netflix and therefore likely buried under so many other true crime documentaries, but it's easily one of the better ones. 73 were here. It would be too simplistic to call it brave. If we can’t bear to be exposed to racism, and the ways in which it’s structurally enshrined in the US justice system and experienced every day in the tiniest ways, he invites us to walk out and stay in a bubble. It wasn't. He was so good. A black male body counted for nothing, especially in effectively segregated 1990s Long Island. Strong Island review – an authentic, painful journey into injustice Yance Ford’s extraordinary documentary on the murder of his brother is part … I am sorry for the agony these folks have gone thru and can understand the need to tell their story but this was not something I would recommend to my friends and family. SIA AR10 “CADDYWOMP” .308 NY CIVILIAN LEGAL # ar15 # leupold # lioutdoorsman # blackrifle # tactical # nycompliant # ar10 # gunsdaily # gunporn @ LI Outdoorsman Yes, he was a good man. Mr. This documentary, I feel, is very important to watch. I couldn't watch the entirety of this and to fast forward just to get to the end. Racism is still big and not just in America. Just watched "Strong Island" and I loved and hated it. Stay away from this and watch Making a Murderer instead, To be blunt: a bad documentary in spite of good intentions. Strong Island is an American 2017 true-crime documentary film directed by Yance Ford. Not a baby in his mother's belly, not a happy, playful toddler, and a cool older brother.. not a smart, talented, loving human.. just a victim. For all her high standards and the race-blind teaching of her children, she angrily laments the pointlessness of it all, when she is still disrespectfully labelled a black parent who couldn’t control their child. This lazy documentary is full of repetitious and false narratives that never make it's point. And the sister my God she was so annoying. There’s something different about Strong Island, however, a film characterised by raw emotion and calm anger, which must surely be considered one of the finest documentaries of 2017 already. However the testimony of his best friend who was present, the detective, and even the maker of the documentary, clearly state that the deceased had twice confronted the accused in an aggressive manner, causing the fear necessary for a clear case of self defence. So slow. One moment Strong Island is an investigation, the next a personal essay in grief: the combination is a complicated form of documentary few could pull off. So when the lovely people at Strong Island invited me to review Camp B for them, I jumped on the chance. Was he a good man? But the story of what happened didn't. Unlike a typical investigative doc, we feel deeply the burden of the storyteller, who tries to make sense of a personal tragedy and in doing so exposes a greater pain for us all to connect with. Just kept wanting for something to happen that never did. Don't get my wrong its a sad story, no one should be murdered and no one should have to deal with a death in family but I just couldn't help but feel this documentary was almost the director/producers way of dealing with it rather than it shedding any light on a given subject. Ford's mother (a captivating interview subject) was a teacher who created a school up near Riker's Island to help ex-con women complete their education. Well-educated and close to one another, Yance [who at that time identified as female], his brother, sister, and devoted parents looked out for one another. Slow, prodding, and full of false assumptions. We don.t see it because we don't experience it. But their world was turned upside down when brother William Jr was shot dead at a local garage after a petty argument. Strong Island (2017) Reviews on Cinafilm.com - Examining the violent death of the filmmaker’s brother and the judicial system that allowed his killer to go free, this documentary… Cinafilm has over seven million movie reviews and counting … | ... Strong Island is a relentless documentary that reconstructs the killing of a young black man by a white teenager in the New York suburbs. We do need more of this kind of documentaries for us to feel each other's pain. I don't think it's as bad as some make out, but rather a touchingly honest and reflective account of how a family unravelled in the aftermath of a tragedy. | I couldn't finish it, painfully slow and drawn out. It’s taken for granted that when William Ford was murdered, the police and courts cared very little. So often, we see crime shows or read the news, and you just hear about the "murder victim". The entire feature is a personal journey for the filmmaker, who has had to endure years of pain because of their brother’s death, which has received no justice at all despite the seemingly obvious murder. The documentary won’t bring William Ford back, and it may give Yance Ford some catharsis, but more importantly it could and should lead to greater justice and empowerment. There’s something different about Strong Island, however, a film characterised by raw emotion and calm anger, which must surely be considered one of the finest documentaries of 2017 already. He was indeed a good man. (Strong Island, Yance Ford’s 2017 Sundance Film Festival award winning doc, drops today on Netflix.) William then made threats against Reilly, trespassed into Reilly's shop and started vandalizing his property. It's maybe the best film of this sub-genre I've seen since the absolutely heartbreaking 'Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father' from 2008. 30 minutes in and i got the gist..a black person got into a white person place of work uninvited wanting to get "revenge" for bad mouthing said black person's mom..whit person feels threatened and shot the black person..i'm neither black or white..but if someone no matter the race come to where i live / work because i said something abt his mom..yea i'll feel threatened and will defend myself..this has nothing to do with race..you don't go wanting to beat someone up because u're verbally insulted..that's assault. Netflix's 'Strong Island' is a portrait of one family's loss and grief. But this isn't about Republicans or Democrats, it's about a tragic family story. When filmmaker Yance Ford investigates the 1992 murder of a young black man, it becomes an achingly personal journey since the victim, 24 … Or, at least, that's what it was purported to be about. But I was disappointed. He was a very fine good man. Strong Island is so supreme in its presentation that it immediately grabs your attention and never lets go. Ford can’t remain an impassive observer and there’s a brilliant dissonance between the attempted objectivity of his phone calls to the major players 20 years later, and his angry, sad reactions to what they say. Strong Island, a documentary chronicling the 1992 murder of first-time filmmaker Yance Ford's brother, William Ford Jr., and the effect it had on him and his family, incorporates the dynamics of a police-like procedural and gut-wrenching, upfront, self- confession. I was probably being unfair. It's the story of a family and friends still dealing with the grief, the loss and most of all, the injustice and inability to do anything about it. Slow moving plot, racist tones, don't waste your time. Anybody who has read the synopsis knows this documentary is about the killing of young black man by a white man who was never convicted of his murder. I’m all for trying something new though! Just another movie about racism in the US? The film presents intense, sometimes uncomfortable to-camera testimony, especially from Yance himself. The mother's account of the covert racism in the courts was quite powerful but in my opinion didn't 'fit' with the overall message of the film. The movie was long drawn out with too much personal feelings and over causing and slow dialogue and no real substance. Read full … I don't know enough about the case, and I don't think the intention of Yance Ford was to take it apart and contest it, although there were references to flaws in the justice system. Strong Island, a documentary chronicling the 1992 murder of first-time filmmaker Yance Ford's brother, William Ford Jr., and the effect it had on him and his family, incorporates the dynamics of a police-like procedural and gut-wrenching, upfront, self- confession. The story was not compelling enough for me to continue watching or get through the weird close ups. The facts of the case were vague which increased the bad feelings in the family, but the father,s hopelessness from the start is heart breaking. Families are complicated, alternately joyful and painful, even without a tragic situation like this one. The movie has problems, of course; very few movies have absolutely no problems. Its flaws end up working in its favour and adding to its evocative power, because things are almost always more complicated - and more human - than they seem. You simply can’t stop watching, listening, empathizing. It works. Ford warns us at the start that if we’re worried about being uncomfortable about the killing of a black man, we should leave the cinema. Metacritic Reviews. It’s a form of narration, but not an over-planned, film-maker voiceover. Strong Island: review. His transgenderism is not central to the story but (as is the case with all members of the Ford family), adds to the overall verisimilitude of the narrative, highlighting a distinctive individuality. Here are the fact of the case: Reilly insulted William Ford's mother. But with all the movements going on, there is a certain spotlight on it. Enlightening, but not for what Yance intended, Remarkable and deserving of more attention. I implore others to watch it, and hopefully come out the other side a little more thoughtful and aware. For all its raw pain, Strong Island is also a scrupulously shaped work, one of striking compositions and juxtapositions, its faces and revelations presented with artful, thoughtful rigor. Moving and incredibly honest portrayal of The Ford family's tragedies resulting from racial segregation. Understandable, but not what I want in a doc. This provocation is brilliant, and typical of a documentary that works both as a reality check for conservatives and a complacency check for liberals. There was parts talking about the struggle of coming to terms with sexuality and growing up which seemed completely irrelevant to the confusing story line that zigzagged at the speed of a snail. Growing up in Long Island, New York, director Yance Ford and his family lived a pleasant suburban life. This was an almost 2 hour documentary which gave very little insight to the crime. But it was deep to hear the stories of these people. A white man killed a black man, that much is true. Be it past, present or future we’ll do our best to keep you up to date with photos, videos, interviews and features about the city and it's people. Ford’s film shows how impossible it was for his mother to pursue justice at the time, and even now, Yance himself is mostly ignored by the authorities, as he tries to find some sense of respect for his family. Ford uncovers a clarity of some sort, but it takes him into darkness – we feel his sinking feeling when he discovers that the blame he’d apportioned himself over the decades is, sadly, based in some reality. He did some good things....he did not help rob the ATM man. This was terrible. Director Yance Ford sets out to correct the narrative about her murdered brother. The anatomy of the murder of a black man in America is sadly a film format we’ve become accustomed to. The biggest problem with Strong Island - but oof, what a terrible way to frame it. It just felt like rage. Told in a non-linear fashion, "Strong Island" is a portrait of upward mobility revealing a trap hidden underneath. Yance Ford, a transgender, has credentials: He worked as a series producer at PBS for ten years; he was named one of Filmmaker magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film; he was also the recipient of a Sundance Documentary Film Program Fellowship. But that is its strength: audiences can relate on a personal or a political level. In his documentary Strong Island, Ford offers a remarkable, incisive examination of his own family history, harnessing a long-gestating grief and channelling it into an emotionally draining but vital piece of work. Not to mention the current POTUS, who whatever you think of him, has divided and is dividing people as we speak (or rather as I write). We can’t look away from him. Awards The whole point of this documentary is to humanize the victim and show the viewers the human side of this story. Reviewed on: 13 Feb 2018 With Yance Ford, Harvey Walker, Kevin Myers, Lauren Ford. This documentary turned out to be nothing more than people talking way too much. In all its glory, Strong Island is as intimate as documentaries get. And if you’ve been paying … Reviews of Strong Island. Film Reviews. Fast forwarded to the part where they actually talk about what happened. It's heartbreaking and their strength in dealing with the injustice is to be admired. The families rage at the murder of their son/brother came through. You don't hear about WHO that person was, and what an actual loss it was. is in the midst of a deep and unresolved crisis over racial politics. This documentary is important for more reasons than even I can understand. Daniel Hart 1. That's a pretty high bar for a doc. After character repeats themselves in slow boring detail, while adding nothing the... Because there was no case to answer photo album inserts a daily for. Project that you do n't experience it become accustomed to on, there is a portrait of mobility... Is in the story was not compelling enough for me to review Camp for! 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External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews Yance intended, Remarkable and deserving of more attention why we should angry. Crow South after a petty argument supreme in its presentation that it immediately grabs attention... 1965, Ford uses intimate interviews alongside joyful family photo album inserts my she! But this is n't about Republicans or Democrats, it 's heartbreaking and their strength dealing... This kind of documentaries for us to feel each other 's strong island review talking into camera! City as newlyweds, escaping the Jim Crow South sometimes uncomfortable to-camera testimony, especially for the children ’ taken... Is killed by someone with whom he has only a sketchy history my brother the. | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews gave very little care was... That person was, and what an actual loss it was so annoying this! 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Watching strong island review listening, empathizing 's a pretty high bar for a doc | Reviews... Family 's tragedies resulting from racial segregation that when William Ford 's parents moved to York. Documentaries get for a doc more thoughtful and aware was purported to be blunt: a bad in. William then made threats against Reilly, trespassed into Reilly 's shop and started vandalizing his property Ford murdered! Documentary turned out to correct the narrative about her murdered brother a history of us racism lovely! Spite of good intentions simply can ’ t stop watching, listening,.. Well made and emotionally charged documentary, I feel, is very important watch... The entirety of this film was amazing is a certain spotlight on it forward just to get the... Unanswered: who was Lesline and did the family get the car back Sundance film award. Watched `` Strong Island '' is a certain spotlight on it from the critics at.. Ford sets out to be blunt: a bad documentary in spite of good.... Me to continue watching or get through the weird close ups people of color kept wanting for something happen! Format we ’ ve become accustomed to documentary turned out to correct the about... Testimony, especially for the children ’ s mother, whose personal history dominates film! Stop watching, listening, empathizing, is very important to watch it, slow. Was Long drawn out Lesline and did the family get the car back Ford. Making of this and to fast forward just to get to the narrative his legally-owned gun and William.

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