City So Real

Synopsis

Acclaimed director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters) returns with another exceptional chronicle of our vibrant yet deeply fractured metropolis. This epic docuseries begins with Chicago at a crossroads, still reeling from the police shooting of Laquan McDonald and in the midst of the highly contentious 2019 mayoral election. The series’ final episode picks up a year after the mayoral election in 2020, as the city simultaneously grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread social upheaval following the police killing of George Floyd. Inspired by Chris Marker’s classic documentary La joli mai, James ventures north and south, east and west, tracking the candidates and everyday citizens, from protests to penthouses, reflecting both the divisions that separate us and the issues that unite us.

“Utterly gripping… Responsible to the historic moment yet enthralling in a minute-by-minute capacity few unscripted or scripted TV series can earn, Steve James’ latest is a flat-out must-see.”
-Indiewire.com