Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. was shot and killed on November 19, 2011. Chamberlain was 68 years-old. He was African-American, a retired marine and a 20-year veteran of the Westchester County Department of Corrections. He had mental issues for which he was taking medication. He also had a heart condition, which required medication as well. As a result of his heart condition, he wore a LifeAid medical alert necklace. On the morning of November 19 at 5:20 AM, his medical alert was activated. LifeAid, the company that runs the medical alert, tries to contact him via a call box, but when Chamberlain didn't immediately answer, the White Plains Police Department were called to do a wellness check. Chamberlain didn't immediately respond because he's nearly 70. He's slow and he has a hearing aid. Police demanded that he open the door, but Chamberlain refused to do so for more than a hour and a half. Eventually, the police broke down his door, tasered Chamberlain and fatally shot him.
In 2013, a movement called Black Lives Matter was created to protest the shooting of unarmed Black men. The movement began in response to the shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012. Thanks to social media and the use of cell phone video, more deaths at the hands of law enforcement were brought to light. So many cases were brought to light that it was indicative of a larger issue of racial bias and police brutality across the country. It all culminated in 2020 when George Floyd was murdered at the hands of police in one of the most egregious examples ever, certainly one of the most egregious examples caught on video. However, these kinds of unnecessary deaths at the hands of cops didn't start with Trayvon Martin. These kinds of deaths go back decades. Ava DuVernay spotlights examples that go back decades to the 1960's in her film Selma (2014), but the first film to address the Black Lives Matter Movement in a blatant way was Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station (2013).
Frankie Faison (
Banshee and
The Wire) stars as Kenneth Chamberlain, the elderly Black man who barricades himself in his house once the police respond to his house. He barricades himself because the police become aggressive and escalate the situation instead of de-escalating. He's a man who is slow, hard of hearing and suffers from paranoia and bipolar disorder. He's a man who's clearly aware of what could happen based on the history of racism in this country. He won't open the door but he tells the police officers multiple times that he's fine and to leave. When they become aggressive, he gets scared but stays resolute in his refusal to open the door.
One could blame him for not opening the door, but, as Kenneth reiterates, the police had no probable cause and they had no warrant, so breaking into his home was unnecessary. Written and directed by David Midell, the film spends a lot of time in Kenneth's apartment, but half the film is also spent in the hallway and staircase just outside his apartment where the initial three police officers have gathered. We get to know those police officers and particularly the dynamic, which illuminates their frustration and the anger from some of them.
Enrico Natale co-stars as Michael Rossi, one of the police officers who initially responds to Kenneth's door. He says that before becoming a cop he used to be a middle school teacher. Therefore, dealing with children is something that's he used to doing. In many ways, the other two police officers with him are like overgrown children, overgrown and racist children. Rossi does notice not only the increasing anger from the other two officers but also the rising racism. It starts with assumptions about the area and being prejudice that because he's a Black man in this area, then Kenneth must be a pimp or a drug dealer or something illegal. Rossi notices the other officers are prejudiced and that prejudice never wanes.
Midell's film for the most part takes place all in one location and for the most part occurs in real time. From his editing choices to the sound design and music cues, Midell is able to turn this film into a nail-biting thriller. Even when one knows the outcome, Midell is really able to keep the audience on the edge of their seat. He jumps back-and-forth from the perspective from Kenneth to the cops in a way that works where we're able to be in the heads of Kenneth and someone like Rossi. Unless one thinks that this docudrama fudges the facts, Midell provides the evidence, which is powerful and damning.
Rated TV-MA.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 21 mins.
Available on HBO Max.
Comments
Post a Comment