Okay - just going to state this from the off that I have no political bias here and it's clear that haters are just going to hate and try and put people off watching what is one of the most intimate, current and emotively poignant documentaries ever made about a city surviving a plethora of pain, but with a huge 'Butchers Bill' of loss that will be felt for years to come.
Spike Lee through a series of interviews with everyone from officials, to Doctors and Nurses and your average people on the street, gives an authentic vocal narrative to the people of New York City, over one of the most turbulent periods of its history.
I had this programme on in the background as I was working, but gradually I was so compelled by the authentic power of the stories of the real people who lived through the times of Covid and BLM, that I had to watch it all again.
What Lee captures here so viscerally, more important than anything else, is the HUMANITY of the people he interviews. The power of their stories, of friends and families losing loved ones in the pandemic, losing faith in their leaders, after the murder of George Ffloyd is a power piece of filmmaking that deserves to be seen and shows Lee at his best.
There is no conspiracy nonsense here, so don't listen to such comments, clearly made by people who haven't even seen the whole show. If anything Lee highlights the danger of this, by showing how such an attitude cost one person their life. He has, in this mini-series, captured one of the most important times in history through the voices of the people who were there, who saw and experienced everything they're talking about, first hand.
From firefighters, to cops, to actors to restaurant owners.
This is the sort of documentary politicians the world over should be watching. It's a power reminder of what can happen, when you forget the reason you were elected to power was actually to serve the needs of all people you govern, and protect all the people you serve.
Brilliant authentic film making.
