Cleveland Contra Wall Street(DOCU SUI FRANCE 2010)

This documentary's about the devastating numbers of foreclosures... The setting is Ohio, winter 2008-2009. A total of 20,000 families have been evicted and the poor neighbourhoods of East Cleveland are full of empty, boarded-up houses: the storm of the subprime financial crisis has struck. Focusing his camera on the United States, Swiss director Jean-Stéphane Bron delves into the heart of this issue in his highly original, moving and informative documentary Cleveland Versus Wall Street.


Very few people really understood this subprime story. I wanted to make it understandable", explained Bron, who also seized "the opportunity to revisit the trial film genre, where the forces of good and evil confront each other in a classic scenario." This double gamble is brilliantly pulled off in a documentary that works almost like a thriller right up to the verdict and gives viewers breathing space outside the courtroom with short interviews and beautiful shots of Cleveland in the snow.

The intelligence and strength of Cleveland Versus Wall Street lies in its judicious choice of characters, who gradually shed light on the chain of responsibility for the crisis. From the guilty eviction squad sheriff to two evicted residents talking about the downward spiral of this type of credit ("a bloke came banging on the window"), the director first of all sets out the human dimension of the problem. Then he broadens the film's scope with a former mortgage broker who reveals the shady practices of the profession and a city councillor who explains the serious social and financial consequences for Cleveland.

THE FILM
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646963/combined
DIRECTOR
Jean-Stéphane Bron
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0111379/

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• trailer
• director
• financial crisis
• foreclosure
• commen people
• real life