Strong Island

Strong Island, a 2017 American documentary film directed by Yance Ford, is a poignant, personal and powerful exploration into systemic injustice, racial bias and the human cost of unsolved crimes. The film is rooted in Ford's own tragic family history and narrated by him, which adds an intensely personal and emotional layer to the narrative.

The film revolves around the story of the Ford family, an African American clan that had migrated from the Southern United States to New York's Long Island seeking a safe, better place to raise their children. The touchstone of the narrative is the murder of the director's older brother, William Ford Jr., the circumstances surrounding his death, and the subsequent fallout as the family grapples with grief and their quest for justice. They take on a judicial system that ostensibly failed them due to inherent biases and systemic racism.

William was an unarmed 24-year-old African-American teacher who was shot dead in 1992 by Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old white auto mechanic. Despite evidence indicating the contrary, Reilly claimed self-defense, and a predominantly white grand jury decided not to indict him, leaving William as a forgotten victim and his family devastated. The film picks up a quarter-century later as Yance, the director and William's younger brother, investigates the events leading up to his brother's murder and the reasons behind the perceived miscarriage of justice.

Strong Island's strength lies in its unflinching portrayal of the emotional devastation suffered by the Ford family and their struggle to come to terms with the injustice inflicted on them. The narrative is deeply personal and intimate, a raw, searing exploration of grief that does not shy away from displaying the pain and sorrow that the family has internalized. However, the film is not merely a tale of personal tragedy but also a searing examination of deeper societal issues like racism, classism, and the inequities in the American criminal justice system.

Featuring heartfelt interviews with the Ford family members, including William's sister, mother and Yance, the film charts the journey of a family torn apart by tragedy. The documentary is narrated by Yance, who, apart from being the director, is an important character in the narrative, trying to piece together the fragments of his brother's life and death. His narration is a simmering mix of sorrow, rage, and frustration as he attempts to dismantle the myths surrounding William's case and portray his brother, not as a nameless victim but as a human being with dreams, hopes, and aspirations.

Strong Island also showcases Yance's struggle with his identity, being a black, gay man in America, adding another compelling layer to the narrative. The documentary intermingles the personal with the political, oscillating between the microcosm of family turmoil and the macrocosm of societal prejudices. Interspersed within the heavy themes are lighter, tender moments capturing the simple joys of family life before the tragedy, intensifying the sense of loss.

The forensic style features high-quality cinematography and lyrical visuals that lend an eerie beauty to the poignant narrative. Innovatively utilizing phone call transcripts, police reports, and expert testimonials, the film stylistically unravels the story's complexities. The evocative visuals, combined with a haunting score, augment the overall impact of the narrative.

In Strong Island, its director Yance Ford has manifested an emotionally arresting, social-justice documentary that scrutinizes the judicial system's racial bias through the lens of personal loss. It constitutes a heartfelt and hard-hitting portrait of grief, injustice, and the fight for truth, showing how personal tragedy can lead to a larger quest for social justice. The documentary is a nerve-striking, deeply moving, and highly recommended viewing for its exploration of race, class, and unresolved grief.

Above all, Strong Island is a tribute to the memory of William Ford Jr. It is a film about a man who had dreams and aspirations, a man who lost his life far too young, and a brother's quest to ensure his life won't simply vanish in the annals of forgotten victims. This is a tale of resilience, love, and an encapsulation of the American dream turned nightmare. It is a fight against forgetting, as much as it is a fight for justice. A heartrending reminder to us all of the human cost of systemic bias and injustice, Strong Island exposes raw and powerful truths within its deeply intimate narrative.