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Detroit's story has encapsulated the iconic narrative of America over
the last century— the Great Migration of African Americans escaping
Jim Crow; the rise of manufacturing and the middle class; the love
affair with automobiles; the flowering of the American dream; and now
. . . the collapse of the economy and the fading American mythos.
With its vivid, painterly palette and haunting score, DETROPIA sculpts
a dreamlike collage of a grand city teetering on the brink of
dissolution. As houses are demolished by the thousands,
automobile-company wages plummet, institutions crumble, and tourists
gawk at the "charming decay," the film's vibrant, gutsy characters
glow and erupt like flames from the ashes. These soulful pragmatists
and stalwart philosophers strive to make ends meet and make sense of
it all, refusing to abandon hope or resistance. Their grit and pluck
embody the spirit of the Motor City as it struggles to survive
postindustrial America and begins to envision a radically different
future. The New York Times Op Docs: |
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