The Interrupters Blu-ray delivers great video and audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
The Interrupters tells the moving and often surprising stories of three "Violence Interrupters"-Ameena Matthews, Eddie Bocanegra, and Cobe Williams--who with bravado, humility, and even humor, work to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed.
"The Interrupters" takes a look at the fingerprint of violence on the dangerous streets of Chicago's south side. There are no easy answers provided to help guide the experience and absolve sin, only a rough understanding of circular behavior and redemptive intentions, shaped into a searing, evocative documentary that does more to understand the psychological chokehold of aggression than any polished media report. Daring to enter the lives of those typically left behind by society, "The Interrupters" is a valuable educational tool and a terrific picture, spotlighting the efforts of those who are dedicating their lives to the betterment of America, using past mistakes and turbulent instincts to attack the root of violence and the fruitlessness of intimidation, working their way through fractured communities one soul at a time.
Directed by Steve James ("Hoop Dreams," "Stevie"), "The Interrupters" spends four long seasons in Chicago's most dangerous communities, focusing on the hard work of CeaseFire, an organization founded in 1995 by Dr. Gary Slutkin that's devoted itself to the mediation of violence on city streets. Deploying a swarm of employees (called "Violence Interrupters") into volatile areas, the goal of CeaseFire is to attack the source of aggression infecting the area, with verbal techniques and body language used to cool situations that would otherwise encourage an exchange of gunfire or other forms of retaliation. Utilizing extensive experience with troublemaking and hostility, the Violence Interrupters work to open eyes and ears before it's too late, hoping to drill inside minds locked tight with rage and find an alternative path of catharsis. Prowling the neighborhoods armed with respect and wisdom, the Violence Interrupters often put themselves into the line of fire to make their points, hoping to thwart needless escalation and teach coping mechanisms to young boys and girls in dire need of leadership.
It's a bleak situation in Chicago these days, with homicides and gang violence reaching epidemic proportions, rendering the streets a war zone where any instinct to murder or hurt is satisfied immediately, keeping the cycle of violence rolling along. Inspired by a New York Times Magazine article, James joined up with CeaseFire to explore a year in the life of their efforts, capturing their intensive work with charged-up citizens on the hunt for revenge, also looking to make a difference in the lives of those left behind by absent parents, who often turn to gangs to acquire a stable home. Bravely stepping into arguments and confrontations armed with an HD camera, James seizes the naked Violence Interrupter perspective, monitoring broken lives and shattered dreams, studying CeaseFire as they labor to make an impact in these destructive communities, armed only with words, examples, and hope.
Cobe Williams was destroyed by the murder of his father as a boy, urging him into a life of crime that eventually landed him in prison, where the maturing young man finally grasped the futility of his actions. Eddie Bocanegra was only 17-years-old when he killed someone, eventually falling into the CeaseFire program to help battle his demons and repent for his sins. The daughter of a famed gang leader in Chicago, Ameena Matthews turned to violence as a teen to prove her worth, steering her life into a dead end of drug-related crime. Trusting in her Muslim faith and responsibilities as a mother, Ameena rebuilt her life, eager to share enlightenment with others. As three Violence Interrupters, Cobe, Eddie, and Ameena embark on daily neighborhood tours, fighting to make themselves heard with criminals desperate for a cheap high of revenge. James keeps a close eye on this brave trio of rehabilitated soldiers, utilizing their routine as the narrative spine of "The Interrupters," weaving fluidly between the disparate stories of frustration and concern, finding the heart of the effort with three individuals who bend over backwards to make themselves available to those in serious need of calming and counseling.
Ameena's efforts are by far the most riveting of the group. A forceful figure of parenting and survival, Ameena demonstrates her firecracker personality repeatedly in the film, always willing to fling herself into the middle of an argument to preach nonviolence. It's a show of courage that defines the CeaseFire method, using meditation gifts to cut through the air of bravado and identify the cause of the conflict. While these talents don't always find an ideal resolution to the problems at hand, the verbal confrontations and speeches do make an impact, with Ameena perhaps the most impassioned Violence Interrupter of the organization. Tirelessly working to make a difference, James always finds the woman in motion, speaking at funerals, patrolling the streets, or dealing directly with special cases. Caprysha is one such girl in need of guidance, and the tumultuous relationship between Ameena and this impulsive, problematic teen is threaded throughout the documentary, checking in periodically to monitor progress. It's heartbreaking and frustrating to watch.
While a human perspective is necessary with a subject this intimate, "The Interrupters" does expand its coverage to understand why these communities in Chicago have been decimated by crime in recent years. James introduces a scientific approach to the nature of violence, working to expose the logic behind escalation and its indefatigable use in urban neighborhoods. James also follows Eddie to an elementary school where he teaches art to kids aching for some form of emotional release. As children who've watched their parents and siblings succumb to the plague of violence, the classes supply an outlet of expression to alleviate the frustrations and fears that all but guarantee a next generation of offender. Unemployment also plays a key role in the rage, with so many communities left with little hope, watching poverty and purposeless drive antagonistic personalities to make calamitous decisions.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "The Interrupters" accurately captures the handheld HD look of the picture. The crispness of the image sustains intended intimacy of the production, offering a clear view of street activities and personal distress, with outstanding detail viewed throughout on the faces of the Violence Interrupters and the multitude of community members. Urban textures are also on display, with brickwork and decay available for study. Colors burst forth through clothing and storefront paint jobs, with pronounced reds clarifying gang allegiances and style trends. Skintones are vivid and superbly natural. Crush isn't an issue here, with only dense hairstyles and a few nighttime excursions loosing edge delineation, while distances and clothing particulars remain intact.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix carries a proper sense of neighborhood life for a documentary positioning itself in the middle of heated affairs. Surrounds preserve distances and atmospherics with subtlety, bringing the listener into the environments without overt sonic force. A minor amount of directional activity also sweetens the experience, with news reports in motion. Voices are the primary currency of the movie, and remain in a tightly frontal position, with rough exchanges and urban slang cleanly communicated and separated, never crowding the mix. Soundtrack cuts provide some thumpy low-end activity. While the documentary never offers a dynamic dramatic lift, what's here is comfortably arranged and free of distortion.
Deleted and Extended Scenes (49:27, SD) delve deeper into the lives and patrol experiences of the Violence Interrupters, capturing their efforts to talk youth out of retaliatory actions, reunite with lost friends, and share their experiences with those willing to listen. Of special interest is Ameena's plea to her nephews to terminate plans of revenge when word spreads about their gangland heritage, and CeaseFire's concern with ex-offender employees reclaiming their former lifestyle while on duty.
"Making of the Soundtrack" (8:22, SD) chats up composer Joshua Abrams, who discusses the texture of the film score and his influences.
"The Interrupters" gets right into the thick of the things to solidify its points, studying arguments as they bloom into rage, delivering disturbing examples of the scattered mentality CeaseFire is up against. However, there's optimism in the end, and while James doesn't pour on the syrup, he does convey rehabilitation in subtle ways, delivering heartening examples of those touched by the CeaseFire method -- citizens who've acquired the consciousness to understand their actions, making moves to improve their lives and refuse violence to the best of their ability. There are disturbing moments of aggression and maddening displays of thugged-out boasting to sort through in "The Interrupters," but the revelations and examples of this positive influence seeping into the skin of the city creates enormous cinematic and community excitement.
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