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Master documentary filmmaker Steve James and his crew have crafted a documentary film series that captures the sheer complexities, joys, and frustrations of inner-city Chicago at the end of the 2010-2019 decade. Although the city's 2019 mayoral race is the main narrative thread of this 4-part documentary series. City So Real comprehensively explores the several social and economic issues facing modern Chicago ranging from police accountability, racism, gentrification/urban displacement, and the grim nature of public corruption in urban political systems. Steve James also masterfully captures with beautifully composed photography the unique cultures and diversity that compose the city's several neighborhoods. Another great technical achievement in the series is the editing performed by David E. Simpson and Steve James which makes you feel naturally immersed and directly involved (almost weightless and true to life) in the various characters and city settings that compose the film. After seeing this series you might not have much optimism for sincere change in our electoral or political systems but you will likely want to go out and explore your local city and uncover all of it's hidden gems and experience it's unique cultural institutions. Overall, a film series that should be rightfully cherished among the great realist impressionistic/mosaic portraits of urban life and the most compelling non-fiction works. 10/10. According, to a recent article Steve James and his crew returned to the streets of Chicago to capture the city's pressing social developments in the age of Covid-19. One could only hope for an epilogue or another episode of City So Real.
score 10/10
netscape31 21 June 2020
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5844187/ |
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1-11-2020 06:40:01