The meandering camera in City So Real captures a wide swath of voices and perspectives assembled from intimate family gatherings to combustible street protests and beyond. The stylists and customers at Sideline Studio get into a screaming match over black privilege, with the black owner dismissing a black patron’s opinion because, as a promoted, long-standing postal worker, he’s in the government’s pocket. The Chicago-set docuseries “City So Real” from Oak Park-based filmmaker Steve James has found a broadcast home. As physical gateways, spirit portals pr… Filmmaker Steve James' complex portrait of contemporary Chicago delivers a deep, multifaceted look into the soul of a quintessentially American city. “City So Real” feels like a sprawling, epic, Tom Wolfe nonfiction book caught on film, as it captures stories huge and small, showcases the astonishing beauty and the heartbreaking blight of Chicago and introduces a number of memorable real-life “characters,” in … The unofficial subtitle of “City So Real” — Steve James’ long-gestating and utterly gripping portrait of Chicago — is “The American City at a Crossroads.” Flashing onto the screen over a map of the city broken into neighborhoods, the subtitle isn’t used in each of the four episodes, yet its initial inclusion emphasizes the docuseries’ striking duality. First and foremost, there’s the crisis facing Chicago. If that’s not a defining American position heading into the 2020 election, good luck finding one. This Article is related to: Television and tagged City So Real, Steve James, Sundance, TV Reviews. Some of it could be considered dry—you will learn more about the signature verification process to get people on the mayoral ballot than you could imagine—but it has a remarkable cumulative power, one that feels amplified by the events of 2020 in unexpected ways. Â. James and his team jump right into a heated mayoral race as it’s getting off the ground in 2018, instantly divisive because of the murder of Laquan McDonald, and how poorly the entire situation was handled by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “City So Real” is not purely a political piece. Here’s How to Craft a Successful Virtual Awards Show — TV Podcast, What Does a Childhood Memory Look and Sound Like? But multiple white residents in the northern part of town either don’t know anything about it or don’t feel comfortable giving an opinion. James’ examination of the 2019 mayoral election and everything swirling through Chicago at the time makes the story momentous, while his execution makes it so easy to absorb. There’s a big difference. This also includes Ghost Town. Each scene is set by an onscreen icon highlighting the name and location of the current neighborhood, which helps to split up Chicago by more than just the typical North Side vs. South Side divide. Responsible to the historic moment yet enthralling in a minute-by-minute capacity few unscripted or scripted TV series can earn, Steve James’ latest is a flat-out must-see. A lesser filmmaker would have focused exclusively on campaign events and promises, but James connects those to not only other major events from 2018-2020 but everyday life in the city. In contract, "City So Real" is a panoramic view designed to convey the massiveness of Chicago on a grand scale, and while the backbone of the plot is … SXSW 2021: Broadcast Signal Intrusion, Offseason, SXSW 2021: Clerk, Not Going Quietly, Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free, SXSW 2021: Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and Legendary Tapes, Alien On Stage, The Spine of Night, SXSW 2021: Sound of Violence, Jakob's Wife, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror. Sensing the incumbent mayor could be defeated, the field started to fill up in unexpected ways, and then Emanuel made the surprising move of dropping out of the race, announcing he wouldn’t run for reelection—leading to an explosion of candidates. season 1. There aren’t sit-down interviews in “City So Real.” There is no time to sit down when you’re running for Mayor. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Steve James. Their intense conflict is quickly squashed, while anger lasts eternal at Joe’s 26th Street shop, where the thick Chicago accents made famous by Bill Swerski’s Super Fans on “SNL” are heard complaining about how much protection is afforded to “these idiots on the streets.” One (white) ex-cop feels sorry for the new generation, not for the many youths being killed, but because the police can’t do what’s needed to protect anyone. City So Real is so immersive because of the personal approach James takes to filmmaking – he’s hands-off as a director but hands-on as a producer, building strong relationships with his subjects to intimately capture them whilst appearing invisible. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Most Bohan avenues are named after prisons, with Alcatraz Avenue, Rykers Avenue, Sing Sing Avenue, San Quentin Avenue, and Guantanamo Ave being five notable examples, while others are named after … No one is better at revealing the truth that there is a fascinating story around every corner of every city, and he equalizes everyone in Chicago. 'Q: Into the Storm' Review: HBO Gives Conspiracy Theorists a Puff Piece, 'Calls' Review: Eerie Apple Show Is a Star-Studded Audio Drama Brought to TV, 'Bridgerton' Season 2: Everything You Need to Know About the Netflix Hit, 'The Mandalorian': Unpacking the Critical Secrets of Boba Fett, Dark Troopers, and More. He interviews and films people as they’re going through the political or other work processes. Movie. At the time, it captured a vibrant but divided city through its examination of the crowded 2019 mayoral race, but it was really a look at the many neighborhoods of Chicago, and how their people strive to balance love for their entire city with their own cultural heritages and needs. The version premiering tonight on National Geographic and available tomorrow on Hulu has a fifth installment about how the city was impacted by social unrest and COVID-19 in 2020. Mid-series images of kids trick-or-treating on Halloween, or looking at the displays in the Macy’s window on Christmas have an unintended melancholy. The ambition of “City So Real” is remarkable, but it’s fulfilled through James’ deep fascination with humanity. The passion of the people within “City So Real” and the deep humanism of its filmmaker give me hope that she’s right.Â. All rights reserved. Before Tuesday’s election, the director, producer, editor, and cinematographer behind “Hoop Dreams” and “America to Me” will debut his latest work, “ City So Real ” … Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and producer. James isn’t telling the story of an American city, but the American city; Chicago’s problems are America’s problems, from our divisions to our strengths. Page Transparency See More. One woman says she can’t trust the news to tell the truth, and she doesn’t have the time to find the truth on her own, so she just hasn’t looked into it. The 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards announced the nominees of its 36th annual awards ceremony. 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With racial tensions at a peak, the climate crisis being ignored, and multiple Democratic candidates fighting for a nomination that could change the fate of the world, so much of what unfolds in these four hours feels pertinent, if not downright prescient. The last chapter is almost feature length and could have even been released separately but it also fits with the other four given its focus on how Mayor Lori Lightfoot handled 2020 (and criticisms she faced for some of her decisions). But perhaps most infuriating is the demographic split between engaged and oblivious citizens, as seen when James (whose son Jackson also served as a cameraman) talks to people in two different neighborhoods about Jason Van Dyke’s trial. And yet they can be contrasted by a homeless woman in episode three, one who lives in a shelter at night but spends her days campaigning for Willie Wilson. Brian Tallerico is the Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Country United States ... as the city simultaneously grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread social upheaval following the police killing of George Floyd. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. ‘City So Real’ Review: Steve James’ Gripping Sundance Doc on Chicago Politics Is a Must-See The Oscar-nominated documentarian's four-part series on the 2019 Chicago … The Kantō region of Japan is not only identical in name to Kanto in the Pokémon world, it is also very similar geographically; however, the western part of the game map corresponds to eastern Chūbu. It’s a tapestry of life in Chicago that is entertaining in its individual moments but gains much more power when considered as a whole. Why Anyone Who Claims to Know the Future of Movie Theaters Is Wrong, One Year Later: 6 Lessons Learned From Television’s Pandemic Year — TV Podcast, Hey, Oscars! They’ll be too afraid of a personal liability lawsuit, like the one this ex-cop’s friend is facing, to do what’s necessary. Back during its Sundance premiere in January 2020, Steve James’ four-part series “City So Real” was a portrait of a major American city at a crossroads. He doesn’t interrupt the city's flow as much as try to capture it going by. Those things won’t happen this year. It’s a series that can go from a commentary on corruption in Chicago politics to interviews at a bar while fans watch a crucial Bears game to a segment on the death of a police officer. Revealing conversations like these populate the documentary series, and while many (like the above) are captured in James’ typical fly-on-the-wall style of shooting, he also adds one-on-one, person-on-the-street interviews to better elicit various perspectives. Interestingly, Lori Lightfoot, who would eventually win the landmark race after becoming the first out candidate in Chicago mayoral history, starts out as background player in early episodes as candidates like Willie Wilson and Bill Daley dominate the story, but it’s fun to watch her profile rise through the series. She speaks of her belief that strength comes only through brokenness. But when dash cam footage is released, showing McDonald was unarmed and walking away from police, the ensuing controversy led to Van Dyke being charged with first-degree murder, the firing of police superintendent Gary McCarthy (who later ran for mayor), and incumbent mayor Rahm Emmanuel choosing not to seek reelection in 2019. But even with many vehement accusations being thrown around — including the barber calling his customer a “house n—–” — the encounter ends with the owner promising the man a good, “professional” haircut and the customer asking if he should have lunch at the rib joint across the street. “Significance” is a word that gets tossed around a lot when discussing topical entertainment these days, but “City So Real” carries its weight effortlessly. But if it’s not already evident from the topical descriptions above, “City So Real” encapsulates more than just a historical moment for Chicago. City So Real. That election, and its unprecedented 21 candidates, serve as the ostensible focus of James’ four-hour series. Copyright © 2021 Penske Business Media, LLC. Sadly, “City So Real” plays differently in October 2020 than anyone could have possibly imagined, and not just because of what’s shown in the excellent fifth episode about this year. City So Real January 1, 2020 Academy Award ®-nominated filmmaker Steve James’ fascinating and complex portrait of contemporary Chicago delivers a … Many of these voices are presented without comment, be it from James asking questions behind the camera or telling edits that undercut or emphasize what was just said. The trial is a major event. Liberty City is the most used city so far, but each are differently rendered in each game and Era. Contact City So Real on Messenger. “City So Real” premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in the Indie Episodic section. This allows him to use tools of dramatic storytelling without approaching sensationalism. Citizens are fleeing for other metropolitan locales in the hopes of finding safer, more affordable homes and better jobs. James is equally fascinated by an argument in a South Side barbershop as he is a discussion about the history of Chicago mayors at Christie Hefner’s dinner table, high above the skyscrapers. James documents key events in the race like Chance the Rapper’s endorsement of Amara Enyia but it's much more of a fly-on-the-wall approach to politics, detailing the daily existence of a campaign like strategizing, press conferences, and even going door to door to get votes. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Alderney is technically a separate state to Liberty City in the HD Universe, containing Alderney City (Jersey City and Newark). The city has long been ravaged by political corruption, but the 2019 mayoral election marks voters’ best opportunity to upend the status quo. Liberty City is based on New York City in the 2D Universe, 3D Universe and HD Universe. Residents closer to where McDonald was killed (who are also people of color) speak with specificity about the incident. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association. James visits two barbershops, both south of downtown, both with different outlooks. According to the in-game Public Broadcasting documentary, Bohan is a Dutch word meaning "Dutch word" (although this is false, as the real Dutch word for "Dutch word" is "Nederlandse woord"). The timing of “City So Real” couldn’t be more concentrated. A portal can be created by a large output of spiritual energy, such as the amplified energy extracted from spirit vines.Once a portal has been created, only the Avatar is able to close or open it; with a single touch, they can cause the beams to diminish into orbs or reverse process. By speaking to the candidates who want to shape the future and the residents living through a difficult present, James finds as many connections as contradictions, giving the campaign’s uplifting lessons a prime spotlight without overlooking the dubious warnings we can’t afford to ignore — not again. The spirit portals appear as beams of energy extending from the ground upward. Police shootings and gang violence have led to racial and economical divides. City So Real is perhaps the first Steve James project to ever feel a hair rushed. The five-part series will premiere on NatGeo Oct. 29 … For decades, James has been the best documentarian in Chicago, bringing his city to life in projects like “Hoop Dreams,” “The Interrupters,” and “America to Me,” but “City So Real” is arguably his most ambitious project to date, wedding the political system of the Windy City to its past, present, and future. But not until CITY SO REAL, a fascinating four-part episodic, has the celebrated filmmaker focused his lens on the epic sweep of Chicago’s multifaceted neighborhoods. City So Real (TV Series 2020– ) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. City So Real Nominated for the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series. The four-part documentary from Participant Media and Kartemquin Films is currently seeking distribution. In real life, 'Bohan' is an Irish surname, which is roughly a diminutive of the word 'buadhach' meaning 'victorious'. Van Dyke claimed Laquan McDonald was acting erratically and lunged at him with a knife, explaining why the officer shot the 17-year-old African-American 16 times. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! January 28, 2021 12:00 am. Kind of like the city itself—a place that values its vibrant communities but also how they come together in times of crisis. For decades, James has been the best documentarian in Chicago, bringing his city to life in projects like “ Hoop Dreams,” “ The Interrupters,” and “ America to Me,” but “City So Real” is arguably his most ambitious project to date, wedding the political system … Two outspoken tavern owners form the backbone of the documentary with eloquent words about the encroaching Lincoln Yards project, a $6 billion real-estate development threatening to commercialize neighborhood culture and erase local staples. And I love his emphasis on daily life in that most of his interviews and segments don’t interrupt what would have happened anyway. This must be done during the summer or winter solstice, when the barrier between the two worlds is the weakest. Like just about all of James’ work, “City So Real” is also incredibly watchable. Stream City So Real on Hulu next day. 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