Traitor or Pioneer?

Perhaps the core of the problem is not that the police force is institutionally racist, but much deeper. The police force merely reflects society as a whole, and in a competitive capitalist society it is absolutely bound to discriminate between different sub-cultures within society in order to protect and and promote the social order (hierarchy).

As a film this works very well, focusing on the individual experience and conflicts, both internal and external, that arise. Clearly there is a sense in which he is a traitor to his community, but whilst this is shown the implications are not really explored, the film preferring to focus on the problems with the police. 

In this respect this is the weakest film of the set, Mangrove, Wheatle, and Education all show the protagonists involved in finding solutions to their on problems (and Lovers Rock is a bit of an outlier)  

Feels like documentary

It feels like documentary and at the same time tells an interesting story covering universal themes (growing up, leaving home, the power of family and community, the curse of alcohol on the dispossessed).

We saw this two days before the director's (Chloé Zhao) latest film scooped up Oscars (Nomanland was already on our to-be-watched list), the boy, Johnny, and girl, Jashaun, could have won acting awards for playing themselves in this one.

Also very satisfying as a narrative with a clear crux point where our hero, Johnny, makes the decision that will determine his future. In the echo canyon as he is setting out to leave, he calls his sister's name and echo came there none.

A classic 'true fiction', that is in fact fiction but in spirit true.  

Gonna Have a House Party, got rhythm, come sing de blues.

Like the first episode, The Mangrove, it felt a bit overlong at times - here particularly in some of the extended party scenes - but overall I guess it is a wonderful evocation of time and place (I wasn't there so I can't know); it certainly feels true.

The dynamics of the party are brilliantly captured, to the extent that you forget it is a film with a camera crew and actors with lines and a director calling "action" and "cut". It just flowed through its different moods as a real party does.