Drive-by Shooting

US

Documentary
120 min     5.2     1994     US

Overview

With a movie camera mounted in the passenger seat of his car, Andy Anderson drove around filming his local neighbourhood of Fort Worth, Texas. The procession of sunny lawns and quiet houses has a day-dreamy innocence, however on the soundtrack, a narrator recites from the police records of over 600 crimes committed in the area. Domestic violence, petty theft, drug related assault; the list of vicious and hapless actions unfolds randomly, "a woman said her husband punched her in the face when he asked her for ten dollars and she didn't have the money. theft; two lawnmowers.." In a powerful counterpoint of sound and image Drive By Shooting creates a two hour-long surveillance film that misses all the action, yet evokes a sense of vulnerability on the streets and violence behind closed doors.

Reviews

CABJ wrote:
A one of a kind and strangely hypnotic documentary/film shot over a two month period in and around the streets of Fort Worth, Texas. Directed by independent filmmaker Andy Anderson, Drive-by Shooting departs from the standard crime documentary and instead takes us on a sedentary, surreal journey through eerily lifeless streets while softly narrating details of crimes committed in or around the vicinity. Basically filmed from a passenger viewpoint, the film slowly and gradually lifts the lid on a wide spectrum of crimes ranging from petty theft all the way to murder. Occasionally, the backdrop departs from the seemingly serene residential streets and glances over an anonymous freeway or flyover, this is usually a cue for the description of particularly heinous or disturbing incidents. All the while spoken in a straight, monotone, almost trance like fashion. Well worth a watch if you want something out of the ordinary.

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