17 Blocks

A slice of long-view nonfiction filmmaking that would make the late, great Michael Apted proud, 17 Blocks takes a creative look at a Washington, D.C. family living the titular distance from the U.S. Capitol, yet seemingly a world away.

The moving documentary is directed by Davy Rothbart (Medora) and originated in 1999 when he played a fateful game of pickup basketball with then 9-year-old Emmanuel Sanford-Durant and his 15-year-old brother Smurf. Rothbart began filming the siblings, their mother Cheryl, and sister Denice, and lent them a camera to capture their own candid moments — a collaboration that lasted 20 years and logged over 1,000 hours, which the director and writer/editor Jennifer Tiexiera whittled down to an emotionally rich 100 minute experience that’s equal parts tragic and uplifting.

Perhaps 17 Blocks’ greatest asset is that it skirts the problems that plague documentaries reveling in poverty porn (Hale County This Morning, This Evening) and bad decision porn (Minding the Gap) by digging deep to explore the roots of the Sanford-Durants’ woes. Though early stretches feature an excess of shaky handheld camerawork, largely done by preteen Emmanuel, they also depict raw, insightful confessions — intentional and circumstantial — from the family’s drug-addict matriarch regarding her troubled past.

The amount of illicit activity, much of it involving drugs, that’s put on tape is likewise handled in a refreshingly blunt manner, and though Smurf and the rest of the family are remarkably honest about him dealing drugs, they don’t exactly condone his lifestyle. Factor in squalid living conditions and lack or role models and there’s genuine concern that any of the Sanford-Durants will lead a fulfilling life.

Moving forward, while no defined regular checkup (annual or otherwise) is needed, 17 Blocks could use more clarity regarding the timeline, as well as who’s doing the filming. The next chunk of footage appears to be taken a decade later, and though the shocking changes each person has undergone in the interim largely makes up for the lack of structure, one wonders why there were gaps of such lengths in between filming.

Nevertheless, the leap forward sets the stage for tragedy to strike more intensely than it might with a year-by-year presentation, and Rothbart expertly chronicles the ripple effects of sorrow, both in its capacity to cripple and heal. In time, the Sanford-Durants work to improve their lives in meaningful ways, and the director’s filmmaking matures with them, conveying a commitment to studying the craft and stepping up his technical skills.

Within the family-wide reclamation project, other elements nicely help bring the story full circle, namely Denice’s oldest son, Justin, who’s the same age that Emmanuel was when filming began, and reminds folks of his uncle. After much pain and suffering, this soulful linking of the past and present sends 17 Blocks out on a hopeful note, leaving viewers wholly optimistic in a second chance to get things right.

Grade: B-plus. Not rated, but with adult themes, language, and violence. Available to rent via fineartstheatre.com and grailmoviehouse.com

(Photo: MTV Documentary Films)