WRITING CULTURE 2012: Film, Food & Beyond

This is not a  Brooklyn neighborhood undergoing gentrification.

Detropia. The name says it all, a play on dystopia, it was obvious from the first minute this would not be an uplifting film.

Though Detroit is slowly being consumed by the Michigan prairie , it still remains a (fallen) symbol of American capitalism. As irrelevant as census surveys may make it, Detroit remains a relevant symbol for America’s problems. Probably for no other reason than George W. Romney (father of Mitt Romney) was the governor of Michigan who sent in National Guard troops to put down the Detroit riots in 1967. That Detroit is again a topic of conversation under similar circumstances when George Romney’s son is running for President is unsettling.

But Detropia is not just about Detroit, or politics. It is about the people of Detroit, and the film never ceases to remind the viewer of that. Which is good.  The people who call Detroit home are no different than you and I. Hard working, dedicated, middle class and often black. The only difference is that Detroiters now find themselves on the wrong side of history, which is no fault of their own. In many ways Detropia presents the residents of Detroit as those who were blind enough to collectively believe in the American Dream; an idea so novel that it was free from the consequences of greed and consumerism. They traded their time restlessly for a key the American middle class; or the “buffer” as one of the films interviewees describes it.

Detropia is an expansive, if intensely focused, documentary.  It moves abruptly from the story of Crystall Starr (vlogger) to highest level of city government where the city’s mayor struggles with governing the city’s broken people and bank account. It’s full of moments where its characters seem so out of touch with reality while at the same time so adept at analyzing it.

It’s at times incredibly ironic. It’s almost too difficult to count the number of gold chains and “diamond” necklaces present at a United Auto Workers (UAW) meeting where the discussion is a salary cut. Or the Local 22 UAW President’s successful return from a fishing trip with an ice cooler full of fish.  Or even better the former school teacher’s blatant self interest in the success of the Chevrolet Volt, because the plant is right up the street from his bar. What struck me as interesting (dare I say American) was the way that many believed that Detroit disappearance was hurting America. America is learning to live without industrial mega cities like Detroit, and getting rich off of exporting American culture and capitalism. America has moved on. What is sad is that Detroit wont comeback. What made it a great city has been democratized and exported.

And that is perhaps the brilliance of Detropia. It is disjointed in its story telling but captures many brilliant moments of honest humanity. The dialogue from its characters often stating the obvious, and  absurd nature of current events. But some of the films greatest moments are when nothing is said at all, or when the camera shifts slightly to reframe a shot. It provides a level of artistry often lacking in documentaries.

One of the great moments of (the directors) story telling takes place in a coffee shop where a Swiss hipster asks politely for a ceramic mug to drink his coffee. The “barista” is Crystal Starr a vlogger based in Detroit who spends a lot of time walking through Detroit’s many empty buildings. Starr pokes fun at the Swiss hipster’s Harry Potter glasses. He takes offense stating that they are not Harry Potter glasses, but rather modeled after *insert era here* architects. She laughs the conversation moves to Detroit he says he’s there to go sight- seeing and take in “the decay”.  The next scene shows the two of them making awkward small talk outside of the coffee shop, followed by a long silence. In one short ten second scene illustrate where Detroit is, and where Detroit is going. It is brilliant.

Detropia, much to the chagrin of Detroiters and news junkies knowledgeable of what is happening on the ground, is not an overly positive film. Which is also a good thing. Detropia is in a way a wake. It’s roughly 90 minutes of mourning the passing of an American city. What’s happening on the other side of the decay is probably just as important, and no doubt immensely positive, but Detropia’s one sided view of the story is significant. Especially in illustrating how the faces, mainly black, at all levels, struggle to come to terms with their role in history.

Photo Credit: Time Entertainment