Review: “Detroit” is Brutal, Messy and Essential

Still a Detroiter

Detroit is different than it was when I was growing up. I’m no longer prohibited from going to the city. I went to college there, at a university I’ve since returned to for a full-time job. The city has undergone a resurgence that’s been attempted several times but, in recent years, feels like it’s finally taking hold. Sports teams and businesses have moved back. People are living there. My wife and I frequent the restaurants and bars; if you visit at night, people are walking around and riding bikes. There’s an optimism and excitement about Detroit that I can’t remember existing at any point in my life.

This past week, we observed the anniversary of the riots. My press screening for “Detroit,” in fact, fell on the date that the riots had begun 50 years earlier. The city doesn’t get many movies filmed here anymore, particularly movies about the city. But I feel weird getting excited about it. In these times of renewed excitement for Detroit, is this movie necessary? Shouldn’t we move on?

But as Detroit goes, so often goes the nation. We saw that in the recent recession, when Detroit’s economic woes only heralded much bigger problems on the horizon. The issues that play out in “Detroit” continue to play out across the nation today. Racism hasn’t been solved; its roots still run deep. We still haven’t learned how to properly love.

As a Detroiter, I find this story important to tell. We need to see how far we’ve come. We need to acknowledge the uncomfortable truths about our history. But mainly, we need to tell these stories to shock, disturb and horrify so they don’t happen again.