The first trailer for Strong Island has been released, and it suggests that Netflix has another smash-hit crime documentary on their hands. But rather than being a sweeping and detailed examination of a case in the manner of 2015’s crime series on Netflix, Making A Murderer, Strong Island is a “deeply intimate” look at the impact of the death of its director’s brother.
Strong Island revolves around the 1992 murder of William Ford Jr., who was just 24-years-old when he was allegedly shot and killed by a 19-year-old white man. This individual was never taken to trial. But rather than trying to provide the definitive depiction of the crime, or bring the murderer to justice, Strong Island is instead a more visceral and profound cinematic experience.
That’s because its director is Yance Ford, who is the younger brother of William Ford Jr. Yance Ford doesn’t pull any punches with Strong Island, going into detail about how his brother’s death 25 years ago left his entire family devastated to such an extent that they never really recovered. Strong Island chronicles this loss, while also asking further questions about race relations in the United States.
Yance Ford’s main ambition with Strong Island, though, is to save and celebrate the memory of his brother. In order to do this, Ford has spent 10 years interviewing a cavalcade of individuals involved in the case, including the prosecutor that tried and failed to present it to an all-white jury.
Strong Island has fared very well since it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, where it won the Special Jury Prize for Storytelling, while it was also screened at the 67th Berlin Film Festival. Netflix viewers will get the chance to check out Strong Island for themselves when it take to the small screen on September 15.
