A new documentary titled '#WhileBlack,' directed by Jennifer Holness and Sidney Fussell, explores citizen journalism amid stories of police violence against Black individuals. The film focuses on key figures like Darnella Frazier and Diamond Reynolds but draws criticism for its scattered structure. Reviewed at SXSW, it runs 84 minutes and avoids showing graphic footage ethically.
The documentary '#WhileBlack' examines citizen journalism in the digital age, drawing on incidents of police violence over the past decade, including the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis filmed by teenager Darnella Frazier and the 2016 shooting of Philando Castile live-streamed by Diamond Reynolds in a St. Paul suburb. Frazier's video sparked worldwide demonstrations, while Reynolds captured the aftermath of her boyfriend's death. The film begins with tense montages of protests and layers audio from Frazier's footage over the site of Floyd's killing to evoke traumatic memory, but such techniques appear only sporadically despite mentions of the harassment and PTSD Frazier faced afterward. Directors Holness and Fussell opt not to display footage of Black deaths or anti-Black police violence, a decision described as ethically commendable to avoid morbid spectacle. However, this choice leaves the 84-minute runtime feeling sanitized and academic, with talking heads discussing topics like social media's role in documenting injustice, ownership of digital footage, ad revenue from such videos, reparative journalism, and sousveillance—watching the watchmen—without deep exploration. Interviews with Frazier and Reynolds provide matter-of-fact recollections of their experiences, but the film maintains a casual tone that limits emotional depth or audiovisual contrast to probe psychological impacts. The production involves contributors from Fathom Film Group, Firelight Media, and others, with appearances by Safiya Noble, Allissa Richardson, Matthew Cagle, and Matthew Mitchell. Reviewed in the SXSW Documentary Feature Competition, the film touches on activist groups, civil liberties attorneys, and politicians but crams multiple ideas into a brief format, resulting in a lack of dramatic momentum and lasting impression.
