Review: Anatomy of Ferguson, From a Shooting to Activism – New York Times

Photo Brittany Ferrells activism in Ferguson, Mo., is a focal point of the documentary Whose Streets? Credit Autumn Lin/Magnolia Pictures

Whose Streets?, a documentary about the unrest and activism in Ferguson, Mo., in the wake of the 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, is choppy, sometimes unfocused, and in every respect the opposite of slick. Its directors, Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis, are novice filmmakers, true; but I also suspect this movies form is deliberate, part of its message. This is direct and frequently powerful filmmaking that doesnt much care about meeting my aesthetic standards.

A preview of the film.

Whose Streets? takes off from the night Mr. Brown was shot. One of the movies subjects is David Whitt, a resident of the apartment complex on the street where the shooting took place, who is moved to take his video camera onto the streets to record police action as rioting started. Another thread follows Brittany Ferrell and Alexis Templeton, a couple navigating parenthood and school, and putting themselves at considerable risk as they lead and participate in demonstrations like one in which they formed a human chain to block traffic on a highway.

The movie is punctuated with quotes by black historical figures Martin Luther King Jr.s observation that a riot is the language of the unheard is particularly resonant. Much of the footage is from low-resolution video cameras and cellphones; the most professional-looking material here is from a television interview with Officer Darren Wilson, who shot Mr. Brown, in which he says, You cant perform the duties of a police officer and have racism in you. This is shown in the same section that features on-the-fly shots of off-duty St. Louis police officers puffing their chests at activists at a town hall meeting. Another wrenching scene shows a protester trying to address a black female officer, the only person of color in a defensive line of cops; she holds her position even as tears fill her eyes.

Whose Streets?

Directors Sabaah Folayan, Damon Davis

Stars Brittany Ferrell, Tef Poe, Kayla Reed, Tory Russell, Alexis Templeton

Rating R

Running Time 1h 30m

Genre Documentary

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Review: Anatomy of Ferguson, From a Shooting to Activism - New York Times