After reading a lot of the other reviews, I realized that the context in which this film was reviewed was rather skewed. This film is not like your normal Hollywood film, and yes, I must admit that the plot leads up to a not very exciting climactic ending... but this depends on how you view the film. Growing up in working class resident of Northeast, Minneapolis, I see the struggle and lives of these people daily. I see poverty on the cities north side and I see the dramatic effects of the cities North side. This film was very inspiring to me because it documented these lives in a very emotional way. The film was scattered, unorganized and confused... but the film is beautifully shot and the raw emotions and life stories of the characters mirror the typical members of my community as well as many communities like mine. If you understand that this film is not your typical Hollywood flick and if you just open yourself up for 80 minutes to celebrate the lives of these characters and their story then this film will enrich your life. Watch this film and analyze the lives introduced, set aside your film 101 ego and just learn something. It is a film which documents how these characters come together in a struggle. You cannot critique the beauty of knowledge being documented in this film. So relax, watch, then walk around your community and reflect.
Review of Explicit Ills
