New York filmmaker Ira Mckinley returns to his Florida birthplace with co-director Bhawin Suchak (2014's The Throwaways) for this first-person look at small-town life, which aired as part of PBS's Independent Lens.
Mckinley was born in Pahokee, a community of 6,344, in the Everglades. Situated on the shores of Lake Okeechobee, the town's Seminole name means "grassy waters." but locals call it "The Muck" due to the rich topsoil.
The town is best known for the Pahokee Blue Devils, among the nation's top football teams. Of the senior players, 70% will go to college on an athletic scholarship. Mckinley's great-nephew, Jarvis Byrd, played for the Blue Devils and his nephew, Alvin Dean, served as interim head coach.
Since 1984, over 60 of the players who have taken part in the Muck Bowl between Pahokee and arch-rivals Belle Glade—a town almost three times Pahokee's size—have gone on to professional careers with the NFL. Since the Raiders won the last eight games, the Blue Devils are fired up about putting an end to that winning streak.
According to Carlos Lammons, Blue Devils defensive coordinator and ex-Buffalo Bills player, "There ain't nothing out here. There are two gas stations, two stoplights—no restaurants. Who wants to be here?"
Mckinley explains that his parents left in the 1960s, during the civil rights era, to seek a better life in New York. Life is very different for those who stayed. Some of his nephews catch fish and hunt rabbits to feed their families.
Though Mckinley and Suchak, who shot and edited the film, document the Muck Bowl and a State Championship game, they focus as much on the town as the football team. If there isn't a lot to do, his charismatic niece, Bridgett Dean, a self-described Muck Baby, can't imagine living anywhere else. After raising four sons, she has gone back to school to get her nursing degree, stating, "You’re never too old to get an education."
In some ways, Outta the Muck is like a real-world Friday Night Lights, the 2004 motion picture and NBC series adapted from Buzz Bissinger's 1991 non-fiction bestseller about Odessa, Texas's Permian Panthers. A key difference is that the Pahokee players, coaches, and cheerleaders are Black. Though the filmmakers never call attention to race, the film offers a look at a close-knit community where Blacks represent 57% of the population.
Overall, Mckinley and Suchak approach Pahokee with a tone more positive and encouraging than negative or critical. Though Bridgett notes that several businesses have closed in recent years and that no new businesses have taken their place, the co-directors don't mention Pahokee's 25% unemployment rate—a disconcerting seven times the national average.
More discussion of the town's economic situation would have provided a fuller picture, but Outta the Muck still presents a beautifully shot portrait of a resilient city that has survived over 100 years of challenges, including the 1928 Okeechobee flood. The film was executive produced by Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning producer and director Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI).
Can this film be used in a library education program?
Outta the Muck would provide a fine choice for library education programs about majority-Black communities.
What ages would this documentary be suitable for?
This documentary is suitable for all ages, including high school and college students. Even middle school students may find it of interest, especially those interested in African-American history, Southern culture, and high school football.
Why should an academic librarian or professor request Public Performance Rights for this film?
Ira Mckinley's first-person narration combined with his engaging family members provides an accessible approach to Florida history. McKinley also cites notable figures, like author, anthropologist, and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, who took an interest in the region while working as a reporter for the Work Projects Administration (WPA) in the 1930s.