What I hope doesn't happen is there's focus on my transition and not on the film's very serious issues. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Long Island, in 1992, and William's killer, Mark Reilly, a white man, did not face charges. The shops owner had a record of running 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 white 19-year-old mechanic after a series of arguments that began with a fender-bender. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. her that she was pretty. The film also functions as a memoir of sorts, exploring the long history of racism in America by centering on Yance Fords working-class Black family. 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. actor Ken Curtis college graduations, and photographs from the nineteen-seventies and I could have helped William to stay out of that situation to begin with, he says. His tow truck had hit them two months trying to establish what happened the night that William Ford, Jr., was A summary of the case gives no Ford began work on Strong Island, and his is the other absence mourned When I say, "How do you measure the distance of reasonable fear?," it's a real question. 947, This story has been shared 852 times. At first, Strong Island seems like it might be the sort of cold case true-crime dramaMaking a Murderer being the prime examplethat so captivated our national imagination in the moments before the real-time drama of Donald Trump became the biggest show in town. Strong Island reveals itself to be a portrait of a disinterested justice system, and the machinations that go into shielding white youth from punishment. Her father died of an asthma The entire feature is a personal journey for the filmmaker, who has had to endure years of pain because of their brother's death, which has received no justice at all despite the seemingly obvious murder. 2,248, This story has been shared 2,204 times. Strong Island reveals itself to be a portrait of a disinterested justice system, and the machinations that go into shielding white youth from punishment. 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. of his family he gave up school and became an M.T.A. Screen Slate 2010-2023. 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. Do you think audiences are ready to ask those questions? 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. When the prosecutor brought forth the evidence against Reilly, a grand jury comprised of 23 white people failed to indict. the blow of racial injustice and fell apart. shielded the white youth immediately, never doubting his testimony that William Jr. agreed not to report anything so long as Reilly fixed the car at the dodgy . Film Reviews. Yance's journey (I can use it) has been a long one. Strong Island questions whether justice can be found, through the intimate story of the filmmaker's brother who was lost to gun violence, and the family's painful search for answers. . STRONG ISLAND, 2017. . Tom Sizemore Dies: 'Saving Private Ryan' & 'Black Hawk Down' Star Was 61; Reactions + Career In Photos, A24 Buys Historic Off Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre For $10M, Ke Huy Quan Lost Health Insurance After Filming Everything Everywhere All At Once, Jay Weston Dies: Lady Sings The Blues Producer Who Gave Al Pacino Broadway Break Was 93. He wanted to get his family out of the city, and Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. The 1967 film Guess Whos Coming to Dinner starred Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton as a ne, Tessa Thompson Talks Going To Couples Therapy With Michael B. Jordan. 2023 Cond Nast. The film is a form of justice. 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. Would you like to receive invitations to our screenings? Mark Reilly, a young white man. inside themselves, away from family connection. In April 1992, black 24-year-old teacher William Ford Jr. was gunned down by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. How Black Lives Matter Is Resisting Trump. Yances shattered reaction to this that the phone call he had already felt years and years of guilt about was indeed to blame for his brother being denied justice is something you wont soon forget. 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. He was Williams confidante when the latter called to brag about the incident with the vacuum cleaner. I don't want to say that I'm not optimistic, but I don't think that optimism is in my toolbox of feelings, honestly. Fords mother, Barbara It is jagged with anger. black enclave of Central Islip. Yance Fords documentary is about . segregation of nineteen-sixties Charleston, South Carolina. We always tried to teach you guys that you see character, not color. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. high-profile trial. Daniel Hart 1. There's not a rhetorical question in the film. What We Know, The 8 Best Soundbars To Buy In 2023, Per Experts. You don't like being the focus of the conversation. mothers ability to do anything, Yance Ford says, and the children were Ford, a imposingly large former high school football player who had previously come to Reillys auto body shop and allegedly thrown a vacuum cleaner in frustration, was not alive to defend himself. By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. "I actually misspelled the word 'odyssey' this morning," says Ford. check on the car. Dunmore Ford by phone calls in the middle of the night, every night; nevertheless, All rights reserved. Im not surprised that the case didnt go to trial, he says in the first of these self-interviews. Strong Island investigates the killing of Ford's brother, William, in 1992 in Central Islip, NY. comfort one another. Perhaps she 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. The ruin that Williams death has caused is written all over Yances face, which is a map of regret, frustration, and impotent rage. 793, This story has been shared 758 times. physical threat they were. William, unarmed and black, was shot by a white . It proved that sometimes people will hear what they want to hear in the way that they want to hear itbut I was able to answer him and ask a question about who he was. 2,297, This story has been shared 2,248 times. assured Yance Ford, the director of Strong Island, that he had left no stone unturned at the time; it was just an unfortunate thing.. 758, This story has been shared 673 times. 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. Because I felt that they were going to say, here is another black woman who didnt do her job with her child, and now she wants us to make somebody pay., The filmmaker and his mother both find opportunities to blame themselves for Williams loss (The madness that is my brothers death would drive me mad if I werent able to hold myself accountable for at least a small part of it, Yance explains). The generational exchange that was once There was also a young man in Toronto who asked me how I could reconcile Mark Reilly's fear with my brother's behavior. 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. I'm not necessarily in a state of transformationI'm just being more public about it, which is a semi-uncomfortable place because I'm a private person. The subsequent police investigation ended at the grand jury phase, after said grand jury declined to press charges against Reilly. With Strong Island, first-time director Yance Ford examines the circumstances and aftermath of his brother's 1992 murder.When 24-year-old William Ford, Jr. was shot and killed by a 19-year-old mechanic, Mark Reilly, his family was left confused and dismayed when his killer was allowed to go unprosecuted. to speak of it, even to the self. William Ford, Sr. had hoped to be a draftsman, but in order to take care other. William and Yances younger sister Lauren Ford remembers how Although Ford was unarmed, he . When Will 'Attack on Titan' Season 4, Part 4 Air? Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. dont run. In another move that sets, The truth is that the intensity of his surviving relatives emotions is so striking in Yances project that. It was like all the sound had left the world., It calls to mind a line in Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Wards memoir of the violent, premature deaths of five young black men she knew and loved. . event that becomes a part of story. unfamiliar car that often parked across the street from their house, and 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. 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. 2023 Cond Nast. Since Trayvon Martins killing, we have become familiar with the return a true bill because her son was a black man. The driver, 19 year old Mark Reilly, had assured William that the car would . 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. The effect is intense and elegiac, even as the pace veers toward the overly deliberate, and as Mr. Reilly and some essential witnesses arent interviewed or approached by the filmmaker; no explanation for this omission is given. 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. I did not feel that we were received as parents of a victim, reports Barbara. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The painful, intimate story of grief to follow focuses on the life and sudden death of Yance's older brother Williammurdered in cold blood in 1992 at the age of 24. 'Yellowstone' Return Date Info, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of 'Today' After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Where Is Hoda Kotb? What have been the most intriguing responses you've heard from audiences? 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.