The Interrupters
- Posted: 12th Aug 2011
- Category: Reviews
- Tags: steve james, hoop dreams, chicago, gangs
By Kate Garner
I really wanted to see The Interrupters. So much so that I outright refused to be put off by the recent bouts of rioting witnessed across London. Reckless? A little bit. Worth it? Most definitely. Once I’d braved the streets, located the venue (the lovely Genesis Cinema in Whitechapel) and settled myself very close (next) to the fire exit - just in case - I confess I felt a sense of pride and personal achievement. Fast forward two hours, five minutes: I radically reassessed my thoughts on bravery.
The Interrupters opens with a shocking truth: in one year alone, Chicago saw more killings than American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan during the same period of time. Whilst the city grappled with astounding levels of violence, Steve James – best known for Hoop Dreams, and Alex Kotlowitz – author of There Are No Children Here - filmed the work carried out by CeaseFire, an organisation that aims to combat violent disorder within Chicago’s urban communities. Founded by epidemiologist Gary Slutkin, the project upholds the notion that violence is essentially learned behaviour and should be treated much like an infectious disease. Although common factors may indeed influence the rate of crime in certain areas – racism, poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, social exclusion – it is the act of violence itself that precipitates further attacks. By intervening as soon as possible however, one can “block” the “transmission” of violence before it spreads. This is where the interrupters come in.
A specialist group consisting of ex-convicts and former gang members, the interrupters – the “dirty dozen” – literally place themselves in between disputes that threaten to escalate into physical force and criminal acts. James’ documentary follows three of these outreach workers: Cobe Williams, a reformed offender capable of appeasing the most volatile of characters; Eddie Bocanegra, a former Latino gang member atoning for a murder he committed years previously and which visibly haunts him today; and Ameena Matthews, the indomitable daughter of notorious gang leader Jeff Fort. The first thing that strikes the viewer is the remarkable diversity of the individuals and the unique ways in which they handle dangerous – potentially life-threatening – situations: Cobe slowly gains the trust of his mentees, Eddie quietly watches over the school kids he supports, and Ameena? She instantly commands respect. In one deeply poignant scene, at a prayer vigil held for a boy shot outside his home, she fearlessly confronts a gang of young men we assume will later seek to retaliate for the killing. As she speaks, the camera focuses on the reactions of the gathering youths. They’re not the most approachable of crowds, I must say. Yet despite her stern words on the subject of sense and personal responsibility, Ameena miraculously avoids inciting their anger or resentment. On the contrary, she engages their full and undivided attention. For a woman of such small stature, her presence is simply majestic. Of course it also helps that she speaks the lingo, which sometimes is impossible to grasp. (This is where the subtitles came in handy.)
The overall strength of The Interrupters resides in its ability to capture moments of clear and present danger: a street fight involving a butcher knife; the ferocious quarrels between two warring brothers; the extremely threatening (yet oddly humorous) protests of a gangster intent on retribution. I couldn’t help but wonder how James and Kotlowitz escaped the action in one piece, never mind the camera. Even when knives and pistols were absent from the setting - which they rarely seemed to be - the tensions within the community are profound and genuinely frightening. In this way I suppose the filmmakers are not unlike their subjects, the interrupters; whereas the majority of us (the sane) would swiftly avoid perilous situations, they instinctively run towards them. If that’s not bravery – with a hint of madness - I don’t know what is.
Dir. Steve James, Alex Kotlowitz | 125 mins | USA
The Interrupters is released in UK cinemas from Friday 12th August 2011.
Read Olivia Humphreys' interview with director Steve James here.