The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain (2021) Film Review
We don’t need films to tell us about the incomprehensible lack of acts made to remediate police brutality in the States. This is a reality to be faced and fixed by whoever’s responsible. And somebody needs to act now.
This sense of urgency is enhanced by blunt statements. And perhaps we need to go beyond interviews, social networking and occasional social media explosions. I say perhaps because I find it shameful that as a society, we have got to that point of defending a cause by blurting out bytes of information and going to sleep soundly. We need to do more.
And sometimes doing more includes reenactments that remind us of a past event. And for some, it’s how we get to know about some of them.
In South America, Kenneth Chamberlain’s case isn’t known. Unfortunately, not all cases “arrive” in the form of information. Of course I went into The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain blind.
The film is a remarkable portrayal of what happened to Chamberlain in the last hours of his life. You can guess this by the title of the film itself. But what follows is a powerfully realistic reenactment of an abominable act ot violence and authoritarianism. The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain left an imprint in me that I can’t, and wouldn’t like to, erase.
Chamberlain is brilliantly played by the character actor Frankie Faison. In the last hours of his life, Chamberlain was being harassed by police officers who were following a protocol. Faison was a war veteran with a heart condition that made him have a small machine that was able to report an emergency without much intervention by the man. A false alarm became a “safety concern” for police officers who arrived at Chamberlain’s home and tried to convince the man to let them in. He just didn’t want them to come in as he said there was nothing wrong with him.
With a real-time setting, The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain is a tension-driven drama vehicle that will inevitably collide with a hard truth. The audience just waits for the final blow, that confirmation of a fact we know is coming.
The film becomes an opportunity for analyzing all the possibilities that could have prevented Chamberlain from being a victim of a system that didn’t care enough for him. You can’t help but feel anger at those who went too far in insisting on something they didn’t care for. Because Chamberlain’s case is one of those cases of police brutality that seem forced and avoidable. Once again, respect for law enforcement seems to be at peril when they turn into the monsters they aren’t supposed to be.
I know films aren’t supposed to make us afraid of someone real. Moreso, if they’re wearing a uniform that should make us think they’re there to serve and protect us. With The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain you will probably change your mind if you haven’t done it yet.
A collision with reality in the form of a film that we need to acknowledge.
