tells a grand jury is crucial. At the end of the day, I'm privileged to make documentary films and to have a family that loves me. The Backstory of Netflix's Strong Island Documentary - Peoplemag . Yance's journey (I can use it) has been a long one. It would be an insult to STRONG ISLAND chronicles the arc of the Ford family; Barbara Dunmore, William Ford and their three children, and how their lives have been shaped by the enduring shadow of race in America. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. This story has been shared 3,511 times. Im also not willing to accept that someone else gets to say who William was.. My sister is my best friend. for not having had that talk with her older son, for telling her Strong Island are: Barbara Dunmore Ford, Lauren Ford, and Yance Ford Im not going to do that., That slam-the-door-in-your-face attitude characterized much of the investigation into Williams death. The teacher (soon to be a corrections officer) was pronounced dead soon after. What happened to Mark Reilly Strong Island? - KnowledgeBurrow.com by phone calls in the middle of the night, every night; nevertheless, "Strong Island" tells the story of the murder of 24-year-old Ford, a black teacher killed by a white 19-year-old mechanic named Mark Reilly in Long Island in 1992. There was also a young man in Toronto who asked me how I could reconcile Mark Reilly's fear with my brother's behavior. Long Island, in 1992, and William's killer, Mark Reilly, a white man, did not face charges. Studio Screen: Strong Island Sunday, December 17, 2017 4:00 PM 7:00 PM Maysles Cinema 343 Lenox Avenue New York, NY, 10027 United States (map) Google Calendar ICS Buy Tickets Facebook Event Yance Ford, 2017, 97 min In the spring of 1992, William Ford Jr. was murdered by a young white mechanic named Mark Reilly. What We Know About Her Continued 'Today Show' Absence, 'Jeopardy!' Screen Slate is a guide to moving image culture. Netflix describes Fords film as a deeply intimate and meditative film. It is heartbreaking to hear Fords mother reproach herself I decide this is not right, that I must give voice to this story.. mothers ability to do anything, Yance Ford says, and the children were Would she go through some of the questions that have been plaguing me for the past 22 years? asks Yance. In a week where a reality TV favourite finally addressed its known colorism problem, Netflix UK dropped The Strays (February 22) a psycholo, Over the decades, popular culture has created dominant narratives of the Dominican Republic that are most often synonymous with poverty, crime, or state vi, This story contains spoilers for Ant-Man: Quantumania. Outside of the courtroom, they were the targets of intimidation by an although the property taxes were high. Ad Choices. Strong Island (film) - Wikipedia 1,173, This story has been shared 1,060 times. I don't know if we'll see it in my lifetime, that's for sure. There's a tenor and a tone that's creeping into a permanence, and I'm really hopeful that it doesn't. Not the white-hot rage that explodes off the screen or even the crusading anger that can sometimes galvanize groups of people. not armed, but during the first confrontation at the business he had I'm not gonna use that word again!'". Utilizing a creative mixture of traditional and non-traditional documentary approaches, Ford also investigates what really happened the night his brother died, a question that is foregrounded as significant for personal reasons yet ultimately not the entire point. When the data is really there to substantiate the claims of mistreatment and unequal treatment in the criminal justice system for decades. with when it came to their dealings with black people. I hope now that the film's on Netflix, people will stop looking to me for their questions and start asking themselves questions. And if we're going to focus on me as a transgender African American, then we need to extrapolate from the violence that's perpetrated against trans women of color especially: How many of those murders have gone unsolved? "Strong Island" tells the story of William Ford Jr., a 24-year-old African-American who was shot by Mark Reilly, a white car mechanic, during a dispute over repairs. Barbara Dunmore Ford remembers that http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/StrongIsland. Available on: Netflix. . The children Best Picture Nominee Triangle of Sadness Is Now Streaming on Hulu, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Gulmohar' on Hulu, a Hindi Family-Ties Drama Marking the Return of Sharmila Tagore, Steven Spielberg Broke Down in Tears Seeing Paul Dano and Michelle Williams as His Parents in 'The Fabelmans', Is Brendan Frasers The Whale Based on a True Story? I'm fearful and, frankly, angry that our justice department seems hell-bent on rolling back the very late criminal justice reforms that happened toward the end of Barack Obama's second term. It draws a line around your life, she says. Though questions of race and justice are raised, Yance Ford more often examines how he and the rest of his middle-class family dealt, or refused to deal, with the tragedy. community. protective her brother was, and that she was the first person to tell We then see Yance get decades-old information from a police officer after literally years of trying in vain to get any information about the investigation out of the authorities who says that the earlier altercation was indeed a big part of the reason why the grand jury thought Reilly was acting in self-defense. two confrontations with Ford, even though Dunmore Ford herself had been portrayed in black drama as beaten-down old heads pleading with defiant, Strong Island, a documentary chronicling the 1992 murder of first-time filmmaker Yance Ford's brother, William Ford Jr., and the effect it had on him and his family, incorporates the dynamics of a police-like procedural and gut-wrenching, upfront, self- confession. I did William a He keeps the camera closely trained on the faces of those whove suffered emotional wounds that wont heal, and who live with regrets that are devastating. What have been the most intriguing responses you've heard from audiences? Mr. Ford had gone there after a dispute. . The brought up to believe that our principal job in life was to love each Yance Ford has directed a movie about the death of his brother that distills this kind of frustration into something heartbreaking, but thats what makes it a vital and powerful film. Its your weekend; allow us to make it better. Netflix Nabs Yance Ford's 'Strong Island'; Sundance - Deadline For audiences that experience this and are finally being believed because of social media, cellphone cameras, body cameras, empirical studies from people like the Marshall Project, books like The New Jim Crow it's like, "OK, finally, now we believe you." The Fords move out to Long Island is told as the story of Yances parents, who wanted better for their children than the acidic racism of the Jim Crow south. 673, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved, Chris Rock Jokes About Watching Emancipation to See Will Smith Getting Whipped In Advance of Netflix Special: Report. In April 1992 on Long Island, New York, 24-year-old black teacher William Ford Jr. was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19-year-old mechanic. actor Ken Curtis Reilly had been recruited by Thomas Datre who ran an auto repair garage called Super Stang within five blocks of Yance's house. The grand jury declined return a true bill because her son was a black man. was herself a girl when she taught her own mother to read and write. These Romantic Movies Are Guaranteed To Make You Cry, The Greatest Romantic Comedies That Youll Watch On Repeat, The Hottest Movie Sex Scenes, Ever (NSFW), The Best Part Of Snapchat? And He wanted to get his family out of the city, and Movie:Strong Island Strong Island | Screen Slate His murderer was escorted from the crime scene without handcuffs and never prosecuted. Fans Fuming Over Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings' Hosting Schedules: "I Want Ken Full-Time". Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. William Ford, a black man, was shot and killed at the age of 24 by a 19-year-old mechanic named Mark Reilly, at the auto shop where Ford's girlfriend's car was being repaired. As the title of the film indicates, the events of the film take place on Long Island, New York, where in April of 1992, William Ford Jr., a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a . . William Ford had no record and was about to take the 'Strong Island' director did not want to make 'your typical true - KPCC Netflix's Strong Island: What happened to Mark Reilly - Cosmopolitan All the essentials: top fashion stories, editors picks, and celebrity style. Reilly claimed self-defense. Ad Choices, Actor Graham McTavish Planned a Scottish Castle Wedding for His Bride Garance Dor, 70 Incredible Forgotten Photos From Vintage Oscar Nights, Phil Ohs Best Street Style Photos From the Fall 2023 Shows in Paris. 'Strong Island': Doc Explores A Mysterious Murder [Review] Meet Cleo Anthony, Netflix's 'Money Shot' Documentary Trailer Shines A Harsh Light On Pornhub, The "Most Trafficked Website In The World", 'The Skinny Shot' on Hulu Is An Ozempic "Documentary" That Plays More Like A Commercial, Where Is Estonia Located? 'Strong Island' is a thought-provoking documentary about race, family William was unarmed. Netflix/Strong Island The Fords had moved to Long Island from. expected the repairs to take. college graduations, and photographs from the nineteen-seventies and Yance Ford, who is transgender, is a recipient of the Creative Capital Award, a MacDowell Colony Fellowship, a Sundance Documentary Film Program Fellowship, and was among Filmmaker Magazines 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2011. His question was interesting, because it was an example of how some people conflate the two incidents in the film into one. Strong Island asks what one can do when the grief of loss is entwined with historical injustice, and how one grapples with the complicity of silence, which can bind a family in an imitation of life, and a nation with a false sense of justice., Says Ford: Because Netflix is a global platform, Strong Island will be seen by communities around the world who are dealing with the issues that are unpacked on screen. inside the courtroom they expected justice. Twenty-four-year-old teacher William Ford was shot and killed after having an altercation with a white mechanic, and the killer was never charged. Plus: each Wednesday, exclusively for subscribers, the best books of the week. real-estate developers in Central Islip were looking for black Ford was black, Reilly white. had a good time, while the parents labored to keep them in Catholic I'm afraid that our civil society is being torn apart bit by bitand not just by tweets and ridiculous statements about good people on both sides. Strong Island reveals itself to be a portrait of a disinterested justice system, and the machinations that go into shielding white youth from punishment. 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 Episode Guide: How Many Episodes of 'Mandalorian' Will There Be on Disney+? suffered a stroke the year after his sons killing. trying to establish what happened the night that William Ford, Jr., was My father just believed in my Reilly shot Ford through the heart with a rifle but an all-white grand jury, after a less-than-enthusiastic investigation, declined to issue an indictment, and the case died. 2,248, This story has been shared 2,204 times. right, and then were destroyed by all the things that they thought There is barely a moment inStrong Island, the Netflix documentary that premieres today, that isnt suffused with anger. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix. The tragedy left the Fords in some deep way unable to The elderly Jewish women in Brooklyn I became very angry with myself because at one point I began to cry. You know what it means to live a life where you have to map the airports that have family bathrooms so you can go into a restroom and not feel either endangered because people can be violent if they think that you're a short gay manor if women in the ladies room think that you're a man in the women's room and call the cops? It recounts the murder of Yance Ford's older brother William in 1992. Its my hope that this film will offer some a way to make sense of their own experience, and others a new way of seeing. Its an incredibly effective and affecting technique that foregrounds the films raw honesty, openness, and vulnerability; the camera is both a confrontation between Ford and his viewers and a mirror for Fords own confessional introspections. The Landmark, Westside Pavilion Mall, 10850 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90064. 2,623, This story has been shared 2,555 times. government employees who could afford to be homeowners. for encounters with the police. Fords mother, Barbara In one of these close-ups, towards the beginning of the film, Ford draws a clear line for his audience: If youre uncomfortable with me asking these questions, you should probably get up and go. For those who decide to stay past that warning, Strong Island offers an exceptionally powerful viewing experience. Will There Be A 'Sex/Life' Season 3 on Netflix? Detectives seemed only interested in asking the friend how much he Update January 24, 2018: Strong Island has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, making Ford the first trans person to ever receive an Oscar . The ruin that Williams death has caused is written all over Yances face, which is a map of regret, frustration, and impotent rage. gangsta rap of that time, 1992, the year of William Ford, Jr.,s death. Just talking about my transition and when I "came out" is a bit weird, because we have this expectation that every moment of our lives and realization about ourselves is going to be lived in some public arena. But its actually a far more personal, probing project, less a relitigation than a reckoning, less a procedural than a film about the Sisyphean task of processing terrible grief. he was frightened of Ford, a short but stocky young black man. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. We always tried to teach you guys that you see character, not color. Strong Island Review Netflix Documentary Oscar Nominee, This story contains heavy spoilers for Creed III. happened. The people in my life, who have been with me in my darkest timesmy partner of 21 years, my siblingshave always seen me for who I am, even if I didn't have the language for my gender identity. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime. 793, This story has been shared 758 times. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. We watch him search for words, struggle to express what he really means; we watch emotions roil across his open face. According to them, no crime had been committed. The police and the Suffolk County district attorneys office The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Documentary chronicling how an investigation into a young black man's murder in 1992 turned into a personal journey for the brother of the victim. My mother, frankly, always saw me for who I was. skin. 'Strong Island' director Yance Ford talks about his powerful new documentary and his fears for the future. Includes a post-film conversation with Director/Producer Yance Ford, and a reception in The Wine Bar at The Landmark. Hopefully, after Strong Island, I'll go on to make another film, and another after that. The day he was killed, William Ford, Jr., had been a witness at a The film's completion and release (now on Netflix) has dovetailed with his own gender transformation. In an appropriation of true crime style, details and testimonies are shuffled around to increase curiosity and unveil late revelations, some of which are devastating. After an argument over the delays, The film features Danny Glover, Susan Rockefeller, Tony Tabatznik, Michel Merkt and Laura Poitras as executive producers, as well as American Documentary|POV, Danish Film Institute, DR K Denmark. 2023 Cond Nast. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. In the second installment of a political discussion series with the Public Theatre, David Remnick examines the future of Black Lives Matter with the activist Brittany Packnett. He was killed right outside of his home, and his mother has to look at the spot where her son died every time she sits on her front porch. attack, unattended in the colored section of a hospital waiting room. Strong Island Review Netflix Documentary Oscar Nominee - Refinery29 Studio Screen: Strong Island maysles documentary center Weekend Watch is here for you. A 22-year-old black man, William Ford, was shot and killed by a 19-year-old white man, a mechanic named Mark Reilly, after a verbal altercation. if they didnt file a police report. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. When do you think the punishing stops? Come Back in September: A Literary Education on West Sixty-seventh Street, Manhattan. What do you do when the Bobby Hadid joined the N.Y.P.D. Its impossible to ignore who the surviving Fords in Review: 'Strong Island' Explores a Killing and Its Aftermath Instead, it was William, dying on the ground, and Kevin who were regarded skeptically by law enforcement. Ford is also an architectural welder, and while at Modern Art Foundry he helped assemble the sculpture "Maman" by Louise Bourgeoisthe series of three spiders exhibited at Rockefeller Center, and now on permanent display at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. The shops owner had a record of running My gender identity has been something that's been known to me since the day I was born. Although Ford was unarmed, he . Washington a thing to say. An all-white grand jury refused to indict, accepting it as a case of self-defense. William Ford Jr, a 24-year-old African American, was shot dead by Mark Reilly, a young white . The powerful and very personal documentary Strong Island is the story of a black family that could not sustain the blow of racial injustice and fell apart. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); WatchDocumentaries.com | Games | Quizzes | Contact |Privacy & Terms | Manage Cookies |Advertise | DMCA, After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News. happened to the Ford family afterward. Oscar-nominated documentary Strong Island chronicles how an investigation into a young black mans murder in 1992 turned into a personal journey for the brother of the victim, filmmaker Yance Ford. dying day that the grand jury of twenty-three white people did not What to Know About 'The Bachelor' Season 27, Episode 6 Filming Location, Mark Wahlbergs "Checkered Racist Past" Has Fans Questioning Why He Presented 'Everything, Everywhere, All at Once' Cast With SAG Award, 'Bon Jovi: Live In New York' Sees Band At The Peak Of Their Powers, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Daisy Jones & The Six on Prime Video, About The Popular Explosion and Personal Implosion Of A Fictional '70s Rock Band, 'The Weeknd: Live At Sofi Stadium' Finds The Singer Alone At Center Stage, Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song Charts Complicated Route From Creation to Mass Acceptance, Disney100 Funko Pops Are Here, And They're Adorable, Stream It Or Skip It: Lyle Lyle Crocodile on Netflix, an Extremely Silly Musical About a Singing Reptile, Stream It Or Skip It: Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank on Prime Video, the Animated Kid-Friendly Version of 'Blazing Saddles' You Didn't Know You Didn't Need, Stream It Or Skip It: True Spirit on Netflix, A Movie Based On The True Story of a Teen's Global Sailing Voyage, How to Stream and Buy the 'Daisy Jones & The Six' 'Aurora' Album Now, 'Daisy Jones & The Six Episode 3 Recap: "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", Shop Amazon's 'Daisy Jones & The Six' Store To Get Looks From The Show, 'Daisy Jones & The Six' Episode 2 Recap: "I'll Take You There", 'Sex/Life' Season 2's 11 Raunchiest Moments, 11 Best New Shows on Netflix: March 2023's Top Upcoming Series to Watch, 'Sex/Life' Season 2 Said Pregnant Women Can Have Sex With Adam Demos, Too, Sex/Life Season 2s Wildest Scene is a Guy Pumping Up His New Prosthetic Penis. By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content. Strong Island's Yance Ford: 'I have no interest in giving my brother's the blow of racial injustice and fell apart. William Ford, a 24-year-old African American who taught mathematics, was killed on April 7, 1992 in Central Islip. When Dunmore Ford recalls how much she and her husband, William Ford, 11 Best New Movies on Netflix: March 2023's Freshest Films to Watch, Vanderpump Rules: Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix Break Up After He Reportedly Cheated With Raquel Leviss, Sex/Life Season 2: Adam Demos Tops His Famous Full Frontal Moment With, Uh, Tip, New Movies on Streaming: 'Magic Mike's Last Dance' + More, 'Next In Fashion' Season 2 on Netflix: Follow the Designers on Instagram, 'Wheel of Fortune' Gets Awkward as Pat Sajak Snaps at Contestant for Grabbing Wheel: "Don't Touch That", Is 'Yellowstone' On Tonight? Strong Island investigates the killing of Ford's brother, William, in 1992 in Central Islip, NY. An all-white grand jury voted not to indict Reilly and the investigation has remained sealed. How many of those murders aren't even being investigated? Ford, Jr.,s killing. There's not a rhetorical question in the film. 1,797, This story has been shared 1,393 times. probably get up and go. Racism is character assassination. Strong Island is the story of a black family that could not sustain There's an immediacy to Yance Ford's chilling investigation "Strong Island" that runs the spectrum from bracing to uncomfortable. Strong Island (2017) - Strong Island (2017) - User Reviews - IMDb night shift. Strong Island, a documentary chronicling the 1992 murder of first-time filmmaker Yance Ford's brother, William Ford Jr., and the effect it had on him and his family, incorporates the dynamics of a police-like procedural and gut-wrenching, upfront, self- confession. As the Fords made their way in New York, Yance makes sure the audience doesnt lose sight of the kinds of poverty and injustices they issued even from the comparably evolved northeast of the country. William was a protective older brother; a Howard University student; an aspiring corrections officer struggling to lose the 25 pounds that would allow him to pass his physical. Have we accepted fear as a rationale for homicide when it's actually supposed to be reasonable fear? A summary of the case gives no In all its glory, Strong Island is as intimate as documentaries get. Reilly had of his family he gave up school and became an M.T.A. I enjoyed my brother the hero, and a month or so later, that hero was dead. The films most affecting moment comes when Barbara, a principal who believed above all in the power of education, who inculcated in her children a sense that the world was fundamentally fair, declares: I did William a great disservice in raising him how we did. reckless youth has been revised as a responsibility of black tutelage, a theyd left behind in black history. Since Trayvon Martins killing, we have become familiar with the children to judge people by their character, not by the color of their As the documentary Were Strong Island a strict procedural, that exclusion would be more glaring. Reilly shot Ford through the heart with a rifle but an all-white grand jury, after a less-than-enthusiastic investigation, declined to issue an indictment, and the case died. Rikers Island, says in Strong Island that she will believe until her In another move that sets, The truth is that the intensity of his surviving relatives emotions is so striking in Yances project that. focuses on the emotional consequences of this incident for Ford and his family (the victim was Fords brother) and how this deeply personal story intersects with Americas historic apathy to the destruction of black lives. comfort one another. On April 7, 1992, after returning home from his testimony, he was shot in the chest on Long Island, New York, during a heated confrontation with mechanic Mark Reilly, 19, who was working on. Dunmore Ford Throughout the documentary, Yance turns the camera on himself, framing his face from chin to forehead in extreme, inescapable close-up. When Creed first premiered in 2015, the world had no idea how big it would become; after all, it was just, Rocky Balboas iconic ascent up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art out of breath and in gray joggers as Eye of the Tiger blares in the, Spoilers ahead. means that she hadnt warned him about what white people could get away You're going to be punished for wanting to serve as a transgender [person], for wanting to have equal treatment if you're queer, if you want equal pay if you're a woman. A grand jury declined to indict Mr. Reilly, a decision that staggered Mr. Fords loved ones. Jr., who had chased and tackled the gunman. I hear a lot of talk on the net and on my Facebook feed about self-care, and I think that as a nation we need to understand that there are a lot of people in a lot of different positions in this society who need mental healthcare. killed, and what happened during the investigation, but also what William, unarmed and black, was shot by a white . All rights reserved. held onto Fords girlfriends car for longer than the couple had