Uprising

Steve McQueen has proven himself a master of the historical drama, with protagonists thrown into an unjust world and compelled to fight it at great cost. He never loses sight of the core emotional story as events unravel. Our empathy for those we might ordinarily ignore or find to be our opposites, challenge us to think carefully. How would we ourselves deal with ordeals that could be straight out of the old testament? How to deal with injustice in a world in which the institutions of justice do not serve you?

Switching from fiction to documentary I feared a parade of "talking heads" and sappy music to keep it all together. Thankfully this is no ordinary documentary. McQueen tells this complex story with great understanding of its long reaching consequences without losing sight of the humanity of these people thrown into a series of awful events. By the end the emotional punches leave you shaken but also questioning your own agency/apathy in a world where much remains unjust.