An intimate glance at the first term of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, The Body Politic, shows us the struggles of trying to deal with crime at the source. Inspirational and compelling, the documentary leaves you in hope that Scott is just getting started.
What happens following an electoral victory? When does change begin? The Body Politic explores these themes through its portrait of Brandon Scott during his leadership campaign and first year as Mayor of Baltimore, a city plagued by funding shortages and escalating crime.
When you are given a glance at the statistics of what Brandon Scott faced when he became Mayor of Baltimore, you would more likely than not baulk at it and try something else. Especially so when his Republican Governor has the exact opposite ideals regarding tackling crime. Filmmaker Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough excellently delves into the why’s but also how Scott handles his journey to being the youngest Mayor of Baltimore in its history.
Scott isn’t like most people; he has seen first-hand the damage that has been done from mishandling the problem and allowing fear and prejudice to be the main method of policing. Scott wants to bring fresh ideas to his term, and while it certainly not be easy, he has hope that being proactive instead of reactive will help to slowly bring the city of Baltimore back to a place people feel safe in.
The fact that the Republican Governor is so comfortable with a lock more up for a longer approach shows you the battle at hand for Scott, especially when there is a flat-out refusal to meet with Scott. Goodenough shows Scott a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to get elected as a Mayor and on trying to keep your pledges once you get in. Scott sometimes struggles to do the latter, and you see how it weighs on him. He has to make the odd concession, to negotiate on matters where there would be no need to negotiate in an ideal world.
With that said, there are moments where there are no negotiations to talk back, like when a large painting is removed from City Hall depicting an enslaved Black child. In these little moments, we are allowed to see the strong and determined person that he is, that Baltimore needs. A mayor is willing to work with the opposition to get something better for his citizens, even if that reduces the speed of the progress he wants to make.
The strength in The Body Politic and what keeps you so engaged is how Scott and his citizens are affected by the gun violence that was happening almost once a day before his arrival into his office. We see the impact that violent crime has had in Scott’s community; seeing how badly hit these communities are also gives you a stark glance at how difficult the task at hand is. This is not just something that can be fixed within a year; it is a multiyear, maybe even decade-long journey to break the rise in crime and show that other options are out there for those who get lost.
Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough never lets the pace of The Body Politic slow; it is always moving on to the next obstacle or moment throughout Scott’s term. At times you fear that the documentary may veer down the route of being a fluff piece for Scott. However, Goodenough ensures that while there is a strong focus on Scott, by keeping Scott’s aims for his city at the forefront, we can see why we are following him in his political battle.
The Body Politic could, at times, be a stronger film, showing us aspects of his leadership that his own side was displeased with, for example. Yet, for the time given and the importance of the message that Goodenough is trying to convey, you let it slide. Scott is a person full of purpose and will be damned if he cannot make some form of positive lasting impression on his city. A worthwhile watch to see that there can be positive stories in politics.
★★★ 1/2
Support Us
I am but a small website in this big wide world as much as I would love to make this website a big and wonderful entity. That would bring in more costs. So, for now, all I hope is to make Upcoming On Screen self-sufficient. Well, enough to where any website fees are less of a worry for me in the future. You can support the website below…
Patreon
You can support us in a variety of ways (other than that wonderful word of mouth) and those lovely follows. If you are so inclined to help out, then you can support us via Patreon, find our link here! We don’t want to ask much from you, so for now, we have limited our tiers to £1.50 and £3.50. These will of course, grow the more we plan to do here at Upcoming On Screen.
Buy Us A Coffee
Our other method if through the wonderful Buy us a Coffee feature, but seeing as we are not the biggest fans of coffee, a pizza will do! We keep it fairly small change on that as well and it allows you to give just a one off payment, so no need to worry about that monthly malarky! We even have a little icon on the website for you to find it and help us out with the running of the website.
Social Media
You can also support us via Twitter and Facebook by giving us a follow and a like. Every one helps!
