Review of 4 Little Girls (1997) by Chris W — 05 Apr 2013

This marked Spike Lee's first attempt at a feature length documentary, and the results do not disappoint.

The subject matter, as you'd expect, is not new ground for him. In fact, he'd wanted to take a look at the story of how the deaths of four girls in Alabama played a role in the Civil Rights Movement for a long time...he just didn't get the opportunity until the late 90s.

Perhaps that is a good thing though. With such a touchy subject like this, it can be beneficial to let it settle so new perspectives can be gained. And, in the case of the surviving family and friends of the victims, it takes a lot of time to be ready and able to confront the past.

The film is quite well done. Yeah, there is a political message underneath it, but thankfully that aspect is downplayed, and the film is done mostly straightforward, with the events speaking for themselves, instead of Lee going at it Michael Moore-style.

It's all very sad, and moving, and powerful, but it's done tastefully and with great amounts of respect. The film doesn't just focus on the event itself, but also the Civil Rights Movement in the South at large. I kind of expected and hoped for this, anyway.

Even if you already know a great amount about the times, places, and events chronicled in this film, it's still a worthy piece of work for one's collection, especially as a scholarly/historical aid. For newcomers, it will be a very insightful, and probably shocking look at racial hatred and the tragic violence that too often is linked with it.

Regardless of how you feel about Spike Lee personally, this is essential viewing.