Okay, now we're back on track (kind of). This Netflix original documentary follows Yance Ford as he attempts to make sense of his brother's death. In the early 90s, unarmed African American William Ford, Jr. was shot by Caucasian Mark Reilly following a verbal altercation at the body shop Reilly worked at. The case never went to trial. The grand jury of 23 white members determined that the incident was self-defense and not a homicide. Yance Ford's family were never satisfied with this verdict and over the course of the film the toll it exacts is tremendous.
I found myself sympathizing with the Ford family but also strangely cold about the film. Part of that is because it feels extremely claustrophobic. It is shot almost entirely in close-up interviews either of Yance Ford himself or family members and witnesses. While Ford is possessed of a deeply expressive pair of eyes, the cumulative effect is lost in the repetition. This is clearly a passion project and one that is certainly very topical, but for me it was a little too personal. I can't help but compare it to The 13th, a nominee from last year that also dealt with institutionalized racism, but on a macro scale. By looking at the mechanisms of power designed to keep African Americans an oppressed minority, 13th was able to make a sweeping indictment of the prison-industrial complex and the U.S. Justice system. Strong Island, however, is solely focused on one family dealing with the grief of losing a son. It comes off as less about looking for change and more about assigning blame.
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