Simultaneously scathing and educational, James Rutenbeck’s A Reckoning in Boston details the racial and political divides in the Massachusetts capital. It is a take-no-prisoners look into the disparities that continue to exist in the city.
Rutenbeck uses an immersive method in his storytelling. Half a decade earlier, he sat in on the Clemente Course in Dorchester, a tuition-free school offering humanities courses. It is here he met the two protagonists of his work, people that illuminate the inequalities in the city. This approach gives the film a deeper level of authenticity and allows the viewers to connect to Rutenbeck’s subjects on a more emotional level.
The first of these protagonists is the retiree Carl Chandler, a voracious reader, an autodidact. Following a divorce, Chandler raised two daughters in a small apartment and now spends his time doting over a granddaughter. The Clemente Course offers him a way to further his education at Harvard. We then are met with the second protagonist Kafi Dixon, a bus driver with dreams of becoming a marine biologist. Dixon has spent a lot of her life shuttling through homeless shelters.
Both protagonists are African-American in a city that is overwhelmingly white, and Rutenbeck discusses the various difficulties these citizens face, including financial woes, housing issues, and access to education. Rutenbeck is no amateur; he’s one of New England’s most accomplished documentary filmmakers, and A Reckoning in Boston is a sobering example of his talent. Rutenbeck allows his subjects time to shine. He’s never patronizing or condescending to his subjects.
It’s an illuminating look at a city with deep problems at its core, rife with racism and inequality. The film would be a great addition for those studying sociology, the development of urban cities, and 20th-century social issues. This film would be suitable for an outdoor screening, most logically in or near the Boston area.
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