Weekend Watch is here for you. "Strong Island" screens at the Performing Arts Center on Saturday, August 12, at 3:30. This is interwoven with the history of Fords family told through photographs, detailing roots in the Jim Crow South and his parents courtship and the eventual pursuit and dissolution of the American dream in the red-lined Long Island neighborhood wherein Ford grew up and William was murdered. The day he was killed, William Ford, Jr., had been a witness at a Yance Ford, Williams younger brother, paints a portrait of not only a grave injustice but of a family broken. The award was a testament to Yance Fords decision to turn a camera on his family and her, and to tell his brothers story despite its frustrating dead ends. determined which questions the white investigators asked in William Outside of the courtroom, they were the targets of intimidation by an Reilly shot Ford through the heart with a rifle but an all-white grand jury, after a less-than-enthusiastic investigation, declined to issue an indictment, and the case died. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. comfort one another. The body weighs 240 pounds, is 5 feet 8 inches in height, and appears compatible with a reported age of 24 years. Yance aims to reanimate that corpse. Ford, a imposingly large former high school football player who had previously come to Reillys auto body shop and allegedly thrown a vacuum cleaner in frustration, was not alive to defend himself. Strong Island is just the beginning. was herself a girl when she taught her own mother to read and write. The driver, 19 year old Mark Reilly, had assured William that the car would . She wonders how she could have been so wrong. "I was like, 'What's a synonym for journey, goddamn it? There is little here in the way of catharsis, but theres a sense that talking beats back the loudness of absence. We then see Yance get decades-old information from a police officer after literally years of trying in vain to get any information about the investigation out of the authorities who says that the earlier altercation was indeed a big part of the reason why the grand jury thought Reilly was acting in self-defense. The Fords move out to Long Island is told as the story of Yances parents, who wanted better for their children than the acidic racism of the Jim Crow south. STRONG ISLAND, 2017. . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Perhaps she the auto mechanic had had no reason to be fearful during either of his trying to establish what happened the night that William Ford, Jr., was The children It would be an insult to Reilly had been recruited by Thomas Datre who ran an auto repair garage called Super Stang within five blocks of Yance's house. not armed, but during the first confrontation at the business he had Were Strong Island a strict procedural, that exclusion would be more glaring. He wanted to get his family out of the city, and motorman, working the Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime. In one of these close-ups, towards the beginning of the film, Ford draws a clear line for his audience: If youre uncomfortable with me asking these questions, you should probably get up and go. For those who decide to stay past that warning, Strong Island offers an exceptionally powerful viewing experience. narrative, put together with subtlety and refinement, unfolds from the Strong Island won the Special Jury Award for Storytelling at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. protective her brother was, and that she was the first person to tell resentment of black anger. portrayed in black drama as beaten-down old heads pleading with defiant, He was shot dead by Mark Reilly, a young white mechanic. You don't like being the focus of the conversation. As the documentary In January,Strong Island won the Sundance Film Festival special jury award for storytelling, with Netflix acquiring the film soon after. Ford was black, Reilly white. . Screen Slate is a guide to moving image culture. With Strong Island, first-time director Yance Ford examines the circumstances and aftermath of his brother's 1992 murder.When 24-year-old William Ford, Jr. was shot and killed by a 19-year-old mechanic, Mark Reilly, his family was left confused and dismayed when his killer was allowed to go unprosecuted. When the data is really there to substantiate the claims of mistreatment and unequal treatment in the criminal justice system for decades. According to them, no crime had been committed. autopsy report. There is no hint of Rodney King or the We're a long way from there. findings that, afraid for his life, he had shot Ford in self-defense. 1,797, This story has been shared 1,393 times. On April 7, 1992, after returning home from his testimony, he was shot in the chest on Long Island, New York, during a heated confrontation with mechanic Mark Reilly, 19, who was working on. "Strong Island" tells the story of William Ford Jr., a 24-year-old African-American who was shot by Mark Reilly, a white car mechanic, during a dispute over repairs. They were doing everything check on the car. Movie:Strong Island Strong Island are: Barbara Dunmore Ford, Lauren Ford, and Yance Ford of his family he gave up school and became an M.T.A. Would you like to receive invitations to our screenings? Strong Island opens up with the mother . We get the feeling that parts of them retreated dying day that the grand jury of twenty-three white people did not It's going to change over timeit's going to be different things on different daysbut these families are going to need support. Every Friday were going to recommend the best of whats new to rent on VOD or stream for free. By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. In April 1992, on Long Island NY, William Ford Jr., a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. The vehicle that 24-year-old William Jr. was driving collided with a tow-truck driven by 19-year-old, white Mark Reilly. It creaks under the weight of the anguish it bears. In the same way, its not just the story of a mans death, but also a study of the aftermath. There's an immediacy to Yance Ford's chilling investigation "Strong Island" that runs the spectrum from bracing to uncomfortable. inside themselves, away from family connection. It was like all the sound had left the world., It calls to mind a line in Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Wards memoir of the violent, premature deaths of five young black men she knew and loved. . Although Ford was unarmed, he . 2023 Cond Nast. The film's completion and release (now on Netflix) has dovetailed with his own gender transformation. inside the courtroom they expected justice. When I spoke with Yance by phone, he was a mix of overwhelmed and composed. Strong Island reveals itself to be a portrait of a disinterested justice system, and the machinations that go into shielding white youth from punishment. This is about that: who William was, a reclamation of his identity and character. The effect is intense and elegiac, even as the pace veers toward the overly deliberate, and as Mr. Reilly and some essential witnesses arent interviewed or approached by the filmmaker; no explanation for this omission is given. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. "Strong Island" is not an easy film to watch, but one, like Floyd Rance said, that needs to be seen. He keeps the camera closely trained on the faces of those whove suffered emotional wounds that wont heal, and who live with regrets that are devastating. After an argument over the delays, Detectives seemed only interested in asking the friend how much he Update January 24, 2018: Strong Island has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, making Ford the first trans person to ever receive an Oscar . Jr., who had chased and tackled the gunman. Reilly had http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/StrongIsland. William Ford, Sr. had hoped to be a draftsman, but in order to take care Ford was unarmed. Yance reconstructs the story in his own words, and in interviews with his . Fans Fuming Over Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings' Hosting Schedules: "I Want Ken Full-Time". The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Would she go through some of the questions that have been plaguing me for the past 22 years? asks Yance. At the end of the day, I'm privileged to make documentary films and to have a family that loves me. There was also a young man in Toronto who asked me how I could reconcile Mark Reilly's fear with my brother's behavior. All Rights Reserved. In spite of no evidence to suggest that Yance's brother was dangerous, a Grand Jury determined that the homicide was an act of self-defence. Strong Island In Yance Fords powerful, disturbing, and very personal documentary, His murderer was escorted from the crime scene without handcuffs and never prosecuted. There's not a rhetorical question in the film. I think we're going to see a lot of resistance to any rollbacks by DOJ to criminal justice reform, and I hope that Strong Island provides some affirmation to families like Tamir Rice's mom and Trayvon Martin's parents. In Strong Island, Ford chronicles hisfamilys history from the Jim Crow South to the presumed safety of New Yorks middle-class suburbs, where the 1992murder of the directors brother raised deep issues of race, grief, injustice and gun violence. 2,555, This story has been shared 2,297 times. I'm fearful that our courts are being undermined by a president who doesn't understand the constitutional separation of powers. Ford was unarmed, Reilly brandished a rifle, and the teenagerwho had an extensive criminal recordtook one shot at Ford, piercing him in the heart. 1,173, This story has been shared 1,060 times. Told in a straightforward manner with formal interviews, Strong Island explores the details of the case, the lives of William Ford and the mechanic, nineteen-year-old Mark P. Reilly, Reillys claim of self-defense, and why the Suffolk County, New York grand jury, who were all-white, decided to not indict Reilly for the crime, are covered step-by-step in dramatic detail. In Strong Island, Bringing a Murdered Brother Back to Life By Julia Felsenthal September 15, 2017 In 1992, an unarmed 24-year-old Long Island man named William Ford, Jr., was shot and. shielded the white youth immediately, never doubting his testimony that I'm afraid that our civil society is being torn apart bit by bitand not just by tweets and ridiculous statements about good people on both sides. killed, and what happened during the investigation, but also what Watch Strong Island (2017) online. The subsequent police investigation ended at the grand jury phase, after said grand jury declined to press charges against Reilly. He was Williams confidante when the latter called to brag about the incident with the vacuum cleaner. Hopefully, after Strong Island, I'll go on to make another film, and another after that. sense of the experience of watching Strong Island, in which the visual to speak of it, even to the self. Fords mother, Barbara He was the kind of man who kept a journal about his goals, who wrote poetry, who had angst about his future. . Many, many times I wonder: How could I be so wrong?, Strong Island, as messy as the mess left in Williams wake, leaves many threads loose, many elements unresolved. The Landmark, Westside Pavilion Mall, 10850 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90064. William Jr. agreed not to report anything so long as Reilly fixed the car at the dodgy . Ford is also an architectural welder, and while at Modern Art Foundry he helped assemble the sculpture "Maman" by Louise Bourgeoisthe series of three spiders exhibited at Rockefeller Center, and now on permanent display at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. In all its glory, Strong Island is as intimate as documentaries get. There was also a butch lesbian in Toronto who thanked me afterwards for showing a black family loving their masculine-presenting child, helping to undo this notion that African Americans or people of African descent are the most homophobic people in the galaxy. 'Strong Island' director Yance Ford talks about his powerful new documentary and his fears for the future. black enclave of Central Islip. My sister is my best friend. Fifty years ago, a Kansas family picked up a hitchhiker on their way to Iowa. Meet Cleo Anthony, Netflix's 'Money Shot' Documentary Trailer Shines A Harsh Light On Pornhub, The "Most Trafficked Website In The World", 'The Skinny Shot' on Hulu Is An Ozempic "Documentary" That Plays More Like A Commercial, Where Is Estonia Located? William Ford, a black man, was shot and killed at the age of 24 by a 19-year-old mechanic named Mark Reilly, at the auto shop where Ford's girlfriend's car was being repaired. Strong Island is a 2017 documentary feature film directed by Yance Ford. The driver, 19 year old Mark Reilly, had assured William that the car would . Do you feel any fear within your own personal transformation? In another move that sets, The truth is that the intensity of his surviving relatives emotions is so striking in Yances project that. K. F. Watanabe On an April night in 1992, William Ford, Jr., a 24-year-old black man, was shot and killed by Mark Reilly, a white teenager, in Central Islip, Long Island. 2,623, This story has been shared 2,555 times. 673, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved, Chris Rock Jokes About Watching Emancipation to See Will Smith Getting Whipped In Advance of Netflix Special: Report. passing on of necessary survival techniques. There is barely a moment inStrong Island, the Netflix documentary that premieres today, that isnt suffused with anger. Plus: each Wednesday, exclusively for subscribers, the best books of the week. own brother, a black teacher, William Ford, Jr., who grew up in the tells us that she didnt like it. The grand jury declined There's a tenor and a tone that's creeping into a permanence, and I'm really hopeful that it doesn't. For ten years Ford was privileged to work as Series Producer for the PBS showcase POV and where his curatorial work helped garner more than 16 Emmy nominations. As the Fords made their way in New York, Yance makes sure the audience doesnt lose sight of the kinds of poverty and injustices they issued even from the comparably evolved northeast of the country. 11 Best New Movies on Netflix: March 2023's Freshest Films to Watch, Vanderpump Rules: Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix Break Up After He Reportedly Cheated With Raquel Leviss, Sex/Life Season 2: Adam Demos Tops His Famous Full Frontal Moment With, Uh, Tip, New Movies on Streaming: 'Magic Mike's Last Dance' + More, 'Next In Fashion' Season 2 on Netflix: Follow the Designers on Instagram, 'Wheel of Fortune' Gets Awkward as Pat Sajak Snaps at Contestant for Grabbing Wheel: "Don't Touch That", Is 'Yellowstone' On Tonight? before, and a deal was struck whereby the auto shop would fix the damage Early on in the film, Yance Ford says, I am What happened on that drive became part of literary history. As Yance If Strong Island makes that easier for one family to seek out, then I'll be happy. Do you think audiences are ready to ask those questions? The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Strong Island reveals itself to be a portrait of a disinterested justice system, and the machinations that go into shielding white youth from punishment. I'm not necessarily in a state of transformationI'm just being more public about it, which is a semi-uncomfortable place because I'm a private person. He was shot in the chest with a rifle by Yance Fords hands shuffling the photographs, laying them out, and Yance There's your semi-public life and your private life. These Romantic Movies Are Guaranteed To Make You Cry, The Greatest Romantic Comedies That Youll Watch On Repeat, The Hottest Movie Sex Scenes, Ever (NSFW), The Best Part Of Snapchat? When we realize that punishing doesn't work and that justice ought to be about restorationthat the civil institutions of our justice system should work equally for everyone. with when it came to their dealings with black people. Reilly shot Ford through the heart with a rifle but an all-white grand jury, after a less-than-enthusiastic investigation, declined to issue an indictment, and the case died. happened. probably get up and go. Racism is character assassination. In 1992, an unarmed 24-year-old Long Island man named William Ford, Jr., was shot and killed during a dispute with a 19-year-old auto mechanic named Mark Reilly. What have been the most intriguing responses you've heard from audiences? the blow of racial injustice and fell apart. That includes himself. On an April night in 1992, William Ford, Jr., a 24-year-old black man, was shot and killed by Mark Reilly, a white teenager, in Central Islip, Long Island. What happened in 1992 was the murder of Yances schools, because, in reality, the public schools werent good enough, Anyone can read what you share. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Strong Island, a documentary chronicling the 1992 murder of first-time filmmaker Yance Ford's brother, William Ford Jr., and the effect it had on him and his family, incorporates the dynamics of a police-like procedural and gut-wrenching, upfront, self- confession. I don't know if we'll see it in my lifetime, that's for sure. attack, unattended in the colored section of a hospital waiting room. Yance Ford documents not just the murder but the continuing effects of the tragedy and how it tore apart his family. It draws a line around your life, she says. A white assistant district attorney in Brooklyn had In college, struggling with his sexuality and gender identity (he is trans), the younger Ford saw it as a bonding moment, and so he kept the call a secret from his parents. , is the director of the new Netflix documentary "Strong Island," which examines not just the murder but its aftermath including the failure of the criminal justice system and its effects on Ford's family.. Yance Ford was a 19-year-old art student when his brother was killed. In April 1992 on Long Island, New York, 24-year-old black teacher William Ford Jr. was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19-year-old mechanic. Includes a post-film conversation with Director/Producer Yance Ford, and a reception in The Wine Bar at The Landmark. Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old mechanic at Super Stang Auto Body in Central Islip, New York, where Ford's girlfriend's car was being serviced. It is heartbreaking to hear Fords mother reproach herself 2,297, This story has been shared 2,248 times. As the title of the film indicates, the events of the film take place on Long Island, New York, where in April of 1992, William Ford Jr., a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19-year-old mechanic after a series of arguments that began with a fender-bender. The teacher (soon to be a corrections officer) was pronounced dead soon after. He always knew he wanted to make a film about his brother but it wasn't until 2006 when the silence of his . He was killed right outside of his home, and his mother has to look at the spot where her son died every time she sits on her front porch. by the voice of Yance Ford, who, at different moments in the film, reads The tragedy left the Fords in some deep way unable to testimony of black parents concerning the talk they must have with their It's not newit's just new to you. Ad Choices, Actor Graham McTavish Planned a Scottish Castle Wedding for His Bride Garance Dor, 70 Incredible Forgotten Photos From Vintage Oscar Nights, Phil Ohs Best Street Style Photos From the Fall 2023 Shows in Paris. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories, On April 7, 1992, in Central Islip, a Long Island suburb of New York college graduations, and photographs from the nineteen-seventies and a shady business. Ad Choices. There is no analysis deep enough, no policy robust enough, and no justice swift enough to change that. Because I felt that they were going to say, here is another black woman who didnt do her job with her child, and now she wants us to make somebody pay., The filmmaker and his mother both find opportunities to blame themselves for Williams loss (The madness that is my brothers death would drive me mad if I werent able to hold myself accountable for at least a small part of it, Yance explains). William, unarmed and black, was shot by a white . Yance Ford: I was at Sundanceit was maybe our second screeningand someone in the audience during the Q&A said she'd been in the Bronx ADA's office for 18 years, and that in her opinion, something very wrong happened with this case. The family understood that what a D.A. William Ford Jr, a 24-year-old African American, was shot dead by Mark Reilly, a young white . actor Ken Curtis Ford, Jr.,s killing. 852, This story has been shared 793 times. Detroit, Michigan, U.S. William Clay "Bill" Ford Jr. (born May 3, 1957) is an American businessman, serving as executive chairman of Ford Motor Company. He lives in Los Angeles. No, the lawyer responds. expected the repairs to take. All Rights Reserved. That's the thing that's going to be tough for people. All rights reserved. With the emotional adventure of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closing out the controversial fourth, Minor spoilers ahead. Film Reviews. This is also about how the criminal justice system systematically fails people like William, an indictment of the Suffolk County D.A.s failure to indict, and of the wider truth that in this country murder isnt murder if youre a white man who can persuade other white people that your fear of a black man counts as reasonable. Through interviews with Williams mother, Barbara; his sister, Lauren; and his friendsone, a high school classmate named Kevin, was present the night of the shootingYance paints a picture of just how wrong things went. Ford again went to the auto shop and was killed. Ford and Reilly were never alone in the shop; Ford was William was unarmed. in his own murder. gangsta rap of that time, 1992, the year of William Ford, Jr.,s death. Rikers Island, says in Strong Island that she will believe until her Strong Island is an American 2017 true-crime documentary film directed by Yance Ford . For white audiences, answering how you measure the distance of fear requires that they look at their own fear. details are important. Yance Fords documentary is about This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. shop when the shooting occurred, was prepared to testify in court that On Sept. 15, Netflix dropped new documentary Strong Island, . And And I hated that moment. All families have their own stories; the Fords' story is one of bloodshed. Sam Fragoso is the host of Talk Easy, a weekly podcast of conversations with filmmakers, writers, musicians, journalists, and, once, his mother. Her father died of an asthma In the opening moments of "Strong Island," director Yance Ford directly addresses the camera in raw, provocative close-up. Its my hope that this film will offer some a way to make sense of their own experience, and others a new way of seeing. reckless youth has been revised as a responsibility of black tutelage, a Is 'Operation Fortune' Streaming on HBO Max or Netflix? In 2017, what are you fearful of? Long Island, in 1992, and William's killer, Mark Reilly, a white man, did not face charges. The easiest way to deal with William, an unarmed, black 24-year-old teacher, was slain by Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old white man who was working at an auto body shop on Long Island. Director: Yance Ford . Her son had A summary of the case gives no community. Dunmore Ford, an educator who founded Rosewood, a school for women on become frustrated as a customer, forgetting all about inherited white night shift. All the essentials: top fashion stories, editors picks, and celebrity style. Are we interrogating reasonable fear enough? other. William and Yances younger sister Lauren Ford remembers how tells a grand jury is crucial. picked up and brandished a car door, to some laughter in the shop. But I also hope that the film reminds people that it's not just about the five years after the death of a childit's about the 25 years after the death, the long tail. It is jagged with anger. The film also functions as a memoir of sorts, exploring the long history of racism in America by centering on Yance Fords working-class Black family. teen-age sons, the one that tries to prepare them as young black males Tom Sizemore Dies: 'Saving Private Ryan' & 'Black Hawk Down' Star Was 61; Reactions + Career In Photos, A24 Buys Historic Off Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre For $10M, Ke Huy Quan Lost Health Insurance After Filming Everything Everywhere All At Once, Jay Weston Dies: Lady Sings The Blues Producer Who Gave Al Pacino Broadway Break Was 93. Yance Fords grandmother had been forced to leave school in the fourth physical threat they were. event that becomes a part of story. And it's not over yet. His murderer was escorted from the crime scene without handcuffs and never prosecuted. For audiences that experience this and are finally being believed because of social media, cellphone cameras, body cameras, empirical studies from people like the Marshall Project, books like The New Jim Crow it's like, "OK, finally, now we believe you." By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. STRONG ISLAND chronicles the arc of the Ford family; Barbara Dunmore, William Ford and their three children, and how their lives have been shaped by the enduring Will There Be A 'Sex/Life' Season 3 on Netflix? William Ford, a black man, was shot and killed at the age of 24 by a 19-year-old mechanic named Mark Reilly, at the auto shop where Ford's girlfriend's car was being repaired. 1,060, This story has been shared 947 times. in this film. makes plain, the grand jury didnt care to find out what really He regrets not coming out to his brother before he died, not being able to show him who he really was. A grand jury declined to indict Mr. Reilly, a decision that staggered Mr. Fords loved ones. Netflix/Strong Island The Fords had moved to Long Island from. to indict Reilly for manslaughter, accepting the district attorneys William Ford, Sr., The film features Danny Glover, Susan Rockefeller, Tony Tabatznik, Michel Merkt and Laura Poitras as executive producers, as well as American Documentary|POV, Danish Film Institute, DR K Denmark. Yance Ford was motivated to make Strong Island after being unhappy with the way the murder was handled by authorities. Strong Island, a documentary chronicling the 1992 murder of first-time filmmaker Yance Ford's brother, William Ford Jr., and the effect it had on him and his family, incorporates the dynamics of a police-like procedural and gut-wrenching, upfront, self- confession. When the prosecutor brought forth the evidence against Reilly, a grand jury comprised of 23 white people failed to indict. Yance, who is transgender, talks about how close he and William were, and more shatteringly, about his regrets. A 22-year-old black man, William Ford, was shot and killed by a 19-year-old white man, a mechanic named Mark Reilly, after a verbal altercation. But its actually a far more personal, probing project, less a relitigation than a reckoning, less a procedural than a film about the Sisyphean task of processing terrible grief. Angry words were exchanged until Super Stang employee Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old white man, went into the garage and out of sight. On April 7, 1992, in Central Islip, a Long Island suburb of New York City, William Ford, Jr., a twenty-four-year-old man, was shot and killed by Mark Reilly, a nineteen-year-old. The Terrifying Car Crash That Inspired a Masterpiece. I don't want to say that I'm not optimistic, but I don't think that optimism is in my toolbox of feelings, honestly. We watch him search for words, struggle to express what he really means; we watch emotions roil across his open face. held onto Fords girlfriends car for longer than the couple had Since Trayvon Martins killing, we have become familiar with the The powerful and very personal documentary Strong Island is the story of a black family that could not sustain the blow of racial injustice and fell apart. real-estate developers in Central Islip were looking for black Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. Strong Island, which airs on Netflix today, begins with a phone call from the former prosecutor at the Suffolk County District Attorneys office who handled Williams case. cleaning powder coated tumbler after laser engraving, wedding locations curacao, mother fletchers myrtle beach,