Milwaukee Film Festival – Day 4
Sunday and after church it’s a quick change into some shorts and over to the Ridge Cinema (hey people…you don’t have to go down to the Oriental to see many of these great films!)
And great is the applicable word as another of those films I had circled on the calendar was ready to start my day at HIGH NOON!
The Interrupters had shown the night before to a packed house at the Oriental theater and I couldn’t wait for my chance to experience the documentary that I’d heard so much about.
The film follows the story of members of Cease Fire Chicago as they try to “interrupt” retaliatory killings on the streets in their city. It is there goal to get to the problem, before it explodes. Within the course of the film we are introduced to a number of these brave men and women who always throw caution to the wind and get in between whenever possible.
The Cease Fire team is not filled with goody two shoes individuals. Some of them have a real past, they have street cred as they stood in the same shoes as the individuals they are trying to stop. There are people who have done time, people have run with the gangs an people who know what it’s like to want to pull a trigger in retaliation. They are folks that the kids listen to and whose voices they are willing to examine. Not everything works out for them, but preventing just a couple of killings can make a world of difference.
The stories are emotionally draining. What has a child that is just 13 ever done to deserve a bullet? What has a youngster done to deserve to be beaten to death? What can we do to legitimately intervene?
This film set the bar, off the charts, for the remainder of the docs I see this year. I was visually moved. I cried. I got angry. I felt Ameena and her impassioned cries to the youth in Chicago. I was nervous as Cobe confronted some kids on the verge of running out in front of him and shooting someone. My heart broke as Eddie comes to grips with his own past while working with kids in the present.
These stories moved me and meant something. These are the stories that will move you. It doesn’t matter what color your skin is, where you’ve grown up, who you know; NO child should have to endure sleeping with one eye open. NO child should fear who will be shot in their neighborhood next.
See The Interrupters – you will NOT be disappointed – One of the Best Documentaries this year. If I was throwing grades out here – this is a solid A.
One LAST chance to check out the film – Tuesday 9/27 at 4:15PM at the North Shore Cinema
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From there I quickly ran home to take in at least the first half of the Packers / Bears and Chiefs / Chargers games. I am, alas, the “Common Guy” and NFL Sunday Ticket was calling my name. But as we rolled into halftime of the games – it was time to head back to the 5PM screening I had circled…Somewhere Between.
Somewhere Between tells the story of 4 girls that were adopted from China and their lives as Americans. It comes from the perspective of a filmmaker who, herself, was looking to adopt and wanted some understanding of some of the struggles that exist for these special children. What she found will leave you emotionally drained but uplifted all at the same time.
The young girls were in different parts of the country and each had their own goals and dreams. They had assimilated to the families they had become a part of but some still wanted to know where their journey began. While it can be impossible to get information in many of these cases, that doesn’t stop all of them from digging deeper.
There are organizations that help these girls cope somewhat, but they still struggle with being the “Asian Girl” within an all white neighborhood or family. As teenagers, they are just like other teens, but with a story that is yet to help them define their life before America.
It is truly an emotionally draining movie that has many highs along with a few lows as well. The story centers on the girls, their thoughts and dreams and their goals and aspirations. And with that you become part of the life of a teenage girl with more on their mind than social networks, boyfriends, or schoolwork.
It was a pleasure to experience and share the story of these girls. With a successful beginning, a successful future is all but assured.
No ADDITIONAL showings during the festival.
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And I was going to go back for two additional films, but I decided at that point to call it a weekend. Lots of writing to finish, columns to submit – and off I went. So that was the end of Day 4. (I’m taking Day 5 off for family obligations – back on Day 6)
HOWEVER – if I were to give recommendations for Day 5 – I would head to the Oriental to check out The Redemption of General Butt Naked and 445PM followed by We Need To Talk About Kevin at 7PM (Though the 7PM show is currently SOLD OUT).
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