CliqueClackBurn is a look at the true, harrowing story of Detroit on fire
‘Burn’ (or ‘One Year on the Front Lines of the Battle to Save Detroit’) documents the burning of Detroit and the firefighters that are trying to save it.
A good documentary shows something about real life using real world footage and real people, dramatized in some some way to tell a story or make a point. Or both. Burn (opening in a limited release) from Brenna Sanchez and Tom Putnam is a documentary about Detroit on fire. There was a time when industry was vital and the population soared — but not lately. The city’s population has been cut in half from 1950, leaving 80,000 abandoned homes and a ludicrously high arson rate — something like 30 fires every day. There is only so much that can be done in a short film to talk about the history and causes, and Burn instead chooses to focus on one particular group of firefighters, Engine Company 50.
There is no doubt of the sometimes foolhardy bravery of these low paid government workers, demonstrated through footage that was probably not very safe to film. We spend a bit of time with both young and old firefighters, including ones who are unable to retire or were severely wounded on duty. Sometimes the movie meanders a bit on a particular person’s backstory before throwing another highly dangerous looking firefight on the screen — there are quite a few slow parts in this movie about a city that’s basically burning to the ground. The film also takes a long look at the new fire commissioner Donald Austin, imported from Los Angeles, and his controversial and radical approaches to the crisis. Austin is an interesting character, but there’s a bit too much on the political side of things presented in very dry tones.
The heart and soul of this documentary is the always striking footage of buildings burning (sometimes left that way if they are abandoned) and the slightly crazy folks that spray untold gallons of water on the flames. Detroit citizens haven’t all lost hope, though — this is the part of the movie that really hits home, and in fact probably should have focused a bit more on. People fighting natural forces brought upon by other people — sometimes the only solution is a little more humanity.
