After watching Decade of Fire with my partner, we decided to do a marathon of mostly urban-focused documentaries, with some fun stuff mixed in to avoid entering a deep and permanent despair lighten the mood. I didn’t think I would have the brain stamina to watch this much–I could barely sit through 90 minute movies for a long time–but I ended up really enjoying it and wanting more when we called it quits each night.

taken from the suicide lane

The list:

1. Decade of Fire
2. The Last Black Man in San Francisco*
3. Pissing out Cancer*
4. The Pruitt-Igoe Myth
5. Bill Cunningham New York > we are here <
6. Radiant City
7. Dark Days
8. Mossville: When Great Trees Fall

*: Not a doc

Decade of Fire #

Decade of Fire takes a look at the burning of the Bronx in the 70’s. Between 1970 and 1980, 7 census tracts in the South Bronx lost 97% of their housing stock.¹ The South Bronx burned for a decade, and politicians did nothing to stop it (in fact, they made it worse). The dominant narrative is that the poor, Black and Brown residents of the South Bronx were just too stupid, lazy, degenerate, etc. to take care of their neighborhoods, but anybody who doesn’t have a cross burning hobby should be able to recognize that that’s bullshit. Decade of Fire is a narrative documentary story told by Vivian Vázquez Irizarry as she investigates what really happens. It’s incredible. Please watch it, it will break your heart and fill you with hope.

We loved it. The story of hope that it ends with is beautiful, of community organizations that started up fixing up burnt out buildings after the fires still around, still fighting for a Bronx for everyone. The manor in which the burning of the Bronx became a redlining enabled wealth transfer from tax payers to landlords all while housing was destroyed is shocking.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco #

The Last Black Man is so good. It’s beautifully shot, everything is pretty. The imagery is powerful, nostalgic and comforting, all while subtly telling a story of abandonment, gentrification and displacement. The movie opens with a man preaching a gospel of “what the fuck is going on” as men in hazmat suits encounter a normal-clothed little girl in Hunters Point. The second scene places the two main characters, Montgomery and Jimmy on a skateboard together, moving through a city that once was theirs, a city that they helped build, but now feel shunned from. It’s a beautiful story of refusing to cede everything to a gentrifying city. There’s also some beautifully captured Skoda trolleybus sounds in a wonderful bus scene that symbolizes everything Muni is. You should watch it.

By the way, the house is at 959 Golden Gate in the movie, but it’s actually at 959 South Van Ness in real life. Makes sense that they would move it to the Fillmore though. It’s just as beautiful irl.

Pissing Out Cancer #

Pissing Out Cancer is Hank Green’s new standup special on Dropout (the college humor people’s new streaming service). It’s really funny. It’s nerdy in an accessible and hilarious way, and Hank is funny when he’s not catering his output toward children! We needed something fun to break up the mostly sad lineup, and this did a great job.

The Pruit-Igoe Myth #

A devastating and sad documentary about the failure of the Pruitt-Igoe public housing project in St. Louis. The documentary takes a deep, nuanced dive into everything that led up to the failure of the complex, including St. Louis’ catastrophic decline in the white flight era. It’s on my watch-again-and-take-more-notes list.

Bill Cunningham New York #

A really really really fun doc about Bill Cunningham, the Times’ street fashion columnist. He lived a life full of bicycle joy and had a pretty un-classist view of fashion. He seemed like such a cool guy. Please please please watch this it will bring you so much joy if you like bikes or photos or clothes or cool old guys.

Radiant City #

> we are here <

Dark Days #

Mossville: When Great Trees Fall #