It is a fight that is not of today. Police blunders are a scourge around the world and the cinema has been a major tool in denouncing these practices.
Police and racist violence is once again at the heart of the debate at the moment. The murder of George Floyd has reopened wounds that have been entrenched for years in the United States but also around the world. Police violence has long been a real plague. The seventh art has not failed to denounce these practices on the screen, making cinema a social tool and a way of breaking the silence on violence that must, more than ever, stop. Many speak of entrenched racism and violence, which it is difficult to undo the world. This list of committed films denouncing police violence reveals that this societal problem is, unfortunately, not of today and that a lot needs to be changed to save the oppressed.
Hatred
Matthieu Kassovitz marked the Cannes Film Festival 25 years ago with his film Hatred. A nugget of unnamed power that told the story of three friends living in the suburbs. They carry with them their boredom, their disoriented youth and the injustice felt when Abdel Ichah was beaten by a police officer during an interrogation. It was in 1995. Police violence was already at the heart of the debate and Matthieu Kassovitz, aged 25, lifted the veil on a real social issue, giving voice to residents of the suburbs. An essential feature film that still resonates in the news today.
Wretched
Now it's hard to talk about Hatred without mentioning Wretched, jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. We told you about it when it went to the movies. Ladj Ly signs a film of great accuracy and, above all, all in nuance where the opinion of each person affected by police violence is addressed. It is the misery of individuals in the cities that is highlighted, that of the police but also that of civilians. Wretched evokes a day when everything changes for three police officers implicated in a police blunder filmed by a drone.
The Hate U Give
Adapted from the novel by Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give is also a real nugget in the cinema. This film is poignant as it denounces the social injustices and violence still suffered by racialized people. In The Hate U Give, Starr, a teenager who wanders between two social backgrounds, witnesses the death of her childhood friend, Khalil, who was shot and killed by a police officer. Faced with the many pressures of his community, Starr tries in vain to find his voice and, above all, to fight for what is right.
Do The Right Thing
Spike Lee is a flagship director! We know his speeches without tongues and his positions committed to justice. Fighting against racism but also against violence, in 1989, he told the story of Raheem, a young man who was killed by a police officer during a police intervention. Released in the 80s, the film still echoes today. Still relevant, this feature highlights the forgotten, the discriminated against and the outsiders of our contemporary society. Spike Lee, once again, shows with this film that he can be a true spokesperson for the rights of African-Americans and in the fight against police violence.
Detroit
Directed by Katheryn Bigelow, Detroit is a film based on a true and terrible news story. In the summer of 1967, America suffered riots of nameless violence. One night, in the middle of a demonstration, police officers enter a Detroit hotel and then insult and torture black people. An act of nameless cruelty which will have serious consequences since three unarmed men were shot dead at close range, as well as several others injured. A true story that is cold in the back.
Fruitvale Station
Cinema has never ceased to draw inspiration from real facts to denounce police blunders. In Fruitvale Station, Michael B Jordan plays Oscar Grant. In the early hours of January 1, 2009, this 22-year-old young man was arrested by the police in the metro. While unarmed, he was gunned down by a San Francisco railroad police officer in front of other subway users. The film recounts the twenty-four hours that preceded this event which shocked all of America.