Review of The Interrupters (2011) by James H — 23 May 2012
The Interrupters are, in a nutshell, those who go around "interrupting" conflicts that could become irreparably bloody. This eye-opening documentary, helmed by Steve Jones who also directed Hoop Dreams, follows several such people around Chicago where mere insults too quickly lead to injuries and deaths.
They seem quite unfazed by what may happen to them if those they "interrupt" decide to shoot or stab at them instead and ask questions later. What qualifies a person to become a Violence Interrupter may be a simple desire to reduce, if not eliminate, violence on the streets, but it also helps to have been on the streets in the past, as have the more active Interrupters we see in the documentary.
The individual stories of those whose lives they touch are tragic and tangible, their endings bittersweet. The Interrupters reveals a side of America that is frightening, and raises difficult questions of just what can be done to improve it.
To that end, CeaseFire, the organization to which the Interrupters belong, seems to have made one of the first baby steps of many yet to come.
This review of The Interrupters (2011) was written by James H on 23 May 2012.
The Interrupters has generally received very positive reviews.
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