What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire? 2018
Distributed by Kimstim, 417 13th Street #2,
Brooklyn, New York 11215
Produced by Paolo Benzi, Roberto Minervini, Thomas Ordonneau, and Denise Ping Lee
Directed by Roberto Minervini
Streaming, 123 mins
College - General Adult
Activism; African Americans; Business; Criminal Justice
Date Entered: 03/24/2020
Reviewed by Monique Threatt, Indiana University, Herman B Wells Library, Bloomington, INSet against the backdrop of Louisiana’s Zydeco music and Mardi Gras costume and culture, Italian filmmaker Minervini’s cinéma vérité-style documentary highlights the everyday challenges of African Americans struggling with race and class issues in and around New Orleans. The film looks specifically at events happening during the summer of 2017 when an alarming rate of African American murders are the result of a corrupt and lawless police force. According to the Washington Post, in 2017, “police killed 19 unarmed black males, down from 36 in 2015.”
The film follows the lives of three primary characters along with extended family and friends. This includes a single mother raising and teaching her two African American sons survival skills; a recovering drug addict and sexual abuse victim trying to hold onto ownership of her bar; and, the New Black Panther Party who teach and instill a positive consciousness within the black community.
The black and white aesthetic of the film allows its artistic creativity to shine. There is an almost surrealism juxtaposed against the seriousness of growing up poor, helpless, and hopeless in an economically depressed community. This viewer almost forgets that this is a documentary film. The black and white aesthetic also sets the tone for the narrative of the movie to coincide with the harsh realities of being and growing up black in America. It explores the relationship and the bond between two brothers growing up in an unsafe neighborhood where murder is a daily constant. The older brother is responsible for the younger one’s safety as the single mother works, and he does an excellent job to protect his brother. Latchkey children often have to grow up faster than those who live in a two-parent home.
Judy Hill is a former drug addict and victim of sexual abuse. She heroically turns her life around, becomes a businesswoman, and unselfishly provides support and oral histories to help others recover. She is an inspiration to the community, and a strong woman with whom many admire and respect. Unfortunately, she is behind in the rent, and unable to raise the $2,200 needed to keep the bar afloat. Throughout various conversations, there looms the hint of gentrification as a cause to increase rent in poor neighborhoods.
The film also highlights the activism of the New Black Panther Party. In addition to trying to bring a sense of calm and knowledge to a community terrorized by the police, the Party holds an annual memoriam to honor Baton Rouge’s Alton Sterling, a young African American male slain by police in 2016. The Party brings to light the economic and justice struggles in America for poor and working-class African Americans. The Party manages to incite emotion but is unable to recruit the majority of residents to join their cause. However, visiting tourists may not realize that the lighted bicycles seen in and around New Orleans are the brainchild of the Party as a symbol of unity and equality.
Due to the reality and nature of the film, I highly recommend this film for college level and general adults. It is a lesson in African American studies, Business, and Criminal Justice/Law.