The Interrupters is a stimulating, yet lengthy documentary, commenting on urban violence. The filmmakers are taking matters in their own hands, exploring the senseless violence in the urban parts of Chicago. The “Violence Interrupters” is a non-profit organization, a group of concerned citizens, who are trying to halt the savage murders in their community. The purpose of the group is to let the young urban community know that they have a choice to avoid prison, gangs, drugs, and death.
The documentary follows several individuals whose lives are gravely affected by the gritty streets. The filmmakers stay behind the scenes; a fly-on-the-wall approach to documentary filmmaking. The objective is to study the positive transformation of these young subjects. During the course of the film, we see these real people endure correctional facilities, friends’ funerals, and injuries due to sudden street outbursts.
We see smart and capable people doing stupid things, and before you know it, they’re six feet under or spending life in prison. Then, "The Violence Interrupters” step in, persuading these young adults to turn their lives around. My personal philosophy; everyone deserves a second chance. No one is really trapped in a bad situation. Sometimes, people need the right hand to pull them out.
The Interrupters has the potential to be like the epic documentary, Hoop Dreams (1994), which follow several students as they survive the pitfalls and ultimately, achieve their goals. However, at 2 hrs and 47 minutes, I felt The Interrupters should’ve been trimmed down. I don’t think a chronology of 14 months, and one subject matter constitutes a mere 3 hr documentary film.
A lot of the deaths we hear about in the film involve gun use. My personal interpretation has less to do with violence and more specifically, “shooting” violence; the power a person feels when they’re holding a gun. There’s a scene where one of the subjects wanted to seek revenge, and he talks about grabbing his “pistol.” STOP—this is the point where a new topic should’ve been introduced; the scary glamour of possessing a gun. However, interweaving a new topic in documentary filmmaking can cause an abrupt shift in focus. Overall, the filmmakers present an important issue, which reflects our urban violence, not just in Chicago, but all over the nation.
*** (out of four stars)
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