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One Movie Punch


Feb 15, 2018

Today’s movie is “Strong Island” (2017), the biographical documentary from Yance Ford, the first transgender director ever nominated for an Oscar. The documentary follows the life of Yance’s brother, William Ford, Jr., who was shot and killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19-year-old mechanic. The murderer never saw trial, thanks to a New York Grand Jury.

Yance Ford has created an intensely personal documentary, unearthing his brother’s death twenty-five years earlier, tracking their family’s journey to Long Island, their life and ambitions, and the dreadful aftermath of the failed litigation of William Jr.’s killer. Ford does an amazing job pacing the story, measuring out the right details to shape the narrative, and turning corners that force you to re-evaluate each step in the process. And all while being unable to get much information from anyone in the secretive grand jury.

Ford brings a unique style to his documentary, utilizing some intense camera work, particularly the up close, literally in your face framing when discussing himself and his relationships to his family. Transitions and pauses utilize scenes around their home or their neighborhood, accentuating both the effects on the home and the geographically segregated Long Island neighborhoods. I was particularly enamored with Ford’s use of family pictures to help tell stories, a simple, but effective storytelling tool.

One of the major strengths of “Strong Island” (2017) is how honest it feels, particularly when dealing with a systemically racist judicial system, one that hasn’t really evolved much since 1992. Ford doesn’t hide compromising details, nor censors the more strident feelings of his family and friends, in order to create a more consistent narrative. Instead, his family is shown as they are, including his own feelings of guilt and sorrow regarding his brother’s death. Nobody involved feels like they are playing to the camera.

“Strong Island” (2017) is not a happy story, nor does it provide answers to social problems, especially 25 years after the fact. Individuals concerned about systemic racism will find no solutions here. What I feel the documentary does do, though, is put a human face on a headline, and to show the serious, long-term effects of systemic injustice. A brilliant debut from Yance Ford. I look forward to his future work. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Metacritic: 86

One Movie Punch: 9.4/10 

“Strong Island” (2017) is not rated and is currently streaming on Netflix.