The best documentary mysteries are rarely about the “who” and more often about the “why.” Strong Island, the debut film from Yance Ford, mines his intense personal history of growing up on Long Island in the ’80s, with a focus on the murder of his brother and the shockwaves it sent through their entire family. A detailed and somber story of race and racism, Strong Island also explores the delicacy of family webs and how even the strongest of strands can be torn. Ford’s filmmaking is precise and artful, pairing minimalist but exquisite camerawork with one of the most effective scores of the year. Strong Island pulls emotions to the surface from deep within, and their emergence is all the most radical and unforgettable for it. (True/False)
