What Killed Michael Brown?

What Killed Michael Brown? is a thought-provoking and contemplative documentary released in 2020. Written and narrated by stencil-sharp intellectual Shelby Steele, an African-American scholar and author, the film delves into the societal issues encompassing race relations in the United States, with the primary focus being on the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

The documentary is a profound and detailed analysis of the events leading up to Michael Brown's death, the immediate aftermath, and the broader cultural and systemic context from which this tragic incident emerged. The event became a focal point for debates on police brutality, systemic racism, and civil unrest in the United States. Still, Steele approaches it from a different perspective, seeking to understand the broad spectrum of factors at play in Brown's death.

As the film explores the details of Michael Brown's death, it does not shy away from the hard-hitting, controversial questions surrounding the incident. While the official narrative portrays Brown as an innocent victim of police brutality, Steele invites the audience to consider a more comprehensive range of factors that could have contributed to Brown's eventual fate. This broad-minded approach challenges viewers to think critically about entrenched narratives and encourages a multifaceted understanding of such monumental and divisive events.

Narrated with the exquisite eloquence of Shelby Steele, What Killed Michael Brown? is no less than a passionate its probe. It examines widely accepted narratives concerning institutional racism, orchestrated structurally by the dominant white society against minorities, particularly Black Americans. Steele, who is also a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, manifests his prowess in sociopolitical analysis delving into the often muted or controversial narratives.

The broader framework of the documentary inspects President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty and its results throughout the years. Steele expounds on his view that policies meant to mitigate racial inequality might have inadvertently created a climate of victimhood and dependence, which he posits as a significant societal concern. Through a series of intimate interviews and cogent sociological analysis, Steele sketches a discerning portrait of contemporary African-American society and the challenges it faces.

Steele breaks through his commentary to spotlight personal narratives from within Black communities. Interviews with individuals who directly experienced the fallout from the Ferguson incidents and from actions intended to repair racial inequality add depth and dimension to the discussions. They also lend the documentary a potent sense of reality and intimate humanity.

What Killed Michael Brown? is not only a dissection of an individual incident but also an exploration of the larger social, political, and cultural landscape of the United States. This is accomplished through probing discussions of racial politics and policies, issues of poverty and inequality, and the feelings of despair and anger that run deep in marginalized communities.

Eli Steele's deft direction, son of Shelby Steele, brings the narrative to life through a stimulating blend of intrepid journalism and storytelling. The film is powerful in its simplicity, with the father-son duo's dedication to shedding light on challenging and often unspoken realities in American society. The cinematography is evocative, capturing the underlying emotions and tensions embodied in the film's subjects.

While it doesn't profess to provide all the answers, What Killed Michael Brown? is a brave attempt at questioning the largely unchallenged narratives surrounding racially motivated incidents and inequalities in the United States. The documentary encourages viewers to step outside of their comfort zones, confront their prejudices, and engage in critical thinking about the complexities of these societal issues.

The function of What Killed Michael Brown? is to spark reflection, conversation, and perhaps eventual change. It is a potent treatise on race relations that pulls no punches and offers no easy answers. It is a must-watch for those interested in understanding the deeply rooted intricacies of race, poverty, politics, and culture in the U.S. With its powerful questioning of conventional wisdom and its courageous delving into controversial territory, What Killed Michael Brown? stands out as a distinctive and impactful contribution to the realm of documentary cinema.