- Directed by
- Erik Ljung
- Edited by
- Michael T. Vollmann
- Executive Producers
- Jason Delane Lee, Yvonne Huff Lee, Barry Poltermann, Matthew Soraci, Van Toffler
- Production Company
- September Club
On April 30, 2014, Dontre Hamilton, a 31-year-old unarmed black man diagnosed with schizophrenia, was shot 14 times and killed by a Milwaukee police officer in a popular downtown park. Dontre’s death sparked months of unrest and galvanized his family to activism. Filmed over three years in the direct aftermath of his death, this intimate verité documentary follows his family as they struggle to find answers and challenge a criminal justice system stacked against them. With Dontre’s mother, Maria, and brother, Nate, as our guides, we take a painful look inside a movement born of personal tragedy and injustice. This explosive documentary takes a behind the scenes look at one of America’s most pressing human rights struggles, and asks the audience: what would you do, if this violence found its way to your doorstep?
Ljung’s clear-eyed film finds hope within terrible circumstances, and strength within heartbreak.
Paste MagazineA loud, boisterous call to action.
Erik Ljung’s work is an auspicious cinematic debut which reminds that for every criminal justice statistic, there’s a stirring story which deserves to be deeply considered.