Taking history into account as it was being made is what happened between the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, which ran from January 23-February 2, and the broadcast premiere of City So Real last week on National Geographic (and shortly thereafter streaming on Hulu).
From twice Oscar-nominated (for Hoop Dreams in 1995 and Abacus: Small Enough to Jail in 2018) documentarian Steve James, the City So Real docuseries played to rave reviews at Sundance to kick off the year. At that time, the fascinating and complex portrait of Chicago, James’ longtime hometown, consisted of four parts. Fast forward, though, to the National Geographic debut and the series now has a fifth installment.
The fifth hour came to pass in light of what we’ve all lived and continue to live through in 2020 as Chicago simultaneously grapples with the coronavirus pandemic–which carries a disproportionate impact on people of color–and widespread unrest following the death of George Floyd. We’ve seen an already splintered Chicago further divided by the economic, political and social fallout, much of which plays out on the streets as police clash with protestors, bringing rise to a generational moment that promises to change the city forever.
Director-producer-cinematographer-editor James and his producer/sound recordist colleague Zak Piper had long wanted to chronicle the dynamics of Chicago–and in many respects show how it reflects the country as a whole. But they were waiting, explained James, for that point in time when “Chicago found itself at a critical juncture.” The mayoral election about a year and a half ago was that pivotal moment according to James and Piper. When Mayor Rahm Emanuel decided not to seek re-election, it triggered, said James, “the most wide open mayoral election in Chicago’s history” with 21 candidates in the running and the city’s future in the balance. The series begins in mid-summer 2018 when Emanuel, embroiled in accusations of a cover-up related to the police shooting of an African-American teenager, Laquan McDonald, shocks the city by announcing he won’t seek a third term as mayor.
James and Piper, himself a Chicago resident for well over 20 years, thus began their documentary odyssey which was originally to have yielded a feature film but given the sheer scope of what was covered became a docuseries. With a successful Sundance run, it seemed James and Piper would move onto the next challenge. But that challenge instead was posed by the series they thought they had finished as the pandemic and the momentum gained by the Black Lives Matter movement took hold.
Initially James and Piper embarked on what they thought would be a postscript to City So Real. But it soon became evident that a fifth hour was needed. And in many respects the first four hours give a context and fuller understanding to how the city has coped with and responded to the pandemic and continued social injustice.
Piper noted, “No doubt many films will be made about this year and what we’re still going through. But we had these four-plus hours of context that lead and place you into 2020 for the fifth episode.”
So now City So Real takes on even more reality–with multiple critical junctures for Chicago converging as impetus: the wide-open mayoral election, the pandemic, police brutality, systemic racism and the quest for social reform.
Like the lion’s share of James’ cinema verite work, much of the context comes from everyday people. This stems, said James, from “a real belief in the wisdom of regular people,” particularly those who often aren’t paid attention to or who normally get short shrift. James observed that “most of the films we’ve done are not about famous people. We did a documentary on Roger Ebert (Life Itself) but he was the most ‘un-celebrity’ person you could imagine.”
And from that perspective, noted Piper, we see “how many people in the world are doing good work in and around everything that’s been swirling about in 2020. Like a lot of people, we struggle with hope,” especially given “the big issues of the day.” But, continued Piper, we are “seeing people out there working, working with more clarity than they may have had before 2020. That’s a big inspiration that provides hope for the future of the city and the country.”
For James, the perspective of everyday people took a different turn in that his original inspiration for City So Real was Le Joli Mai (The Lovely Month of May), documentarian Chris Marker’s 1963 film that takes us inside Paris. Le Joli Mai features both verite scenes and revealing conversations with everyday Parisians. This serendipitous approach to capturing Paris provided creative inspiration for City So Real as James and Piper were open to people they ran across wherever a given day’s shooting would lead them.
When a mayoral candidate, for instance, campaigned at a restaurant, James opted to microphone the waitress and the campaign worker assigned to get patrons to sit down with the candidate. This gave a dimension that typically wouldn’t be captured to a political campaign as the candidate became a footnote with everyday folks instead in the spotlight–revealing far more about what makes Chicago tick.
City So Real’s first episode, “Welcome To Chicago” takes us inside Emanuel’s decision as to whether or not to seek a third term, which would entail going up against a large and diverse field of opponents. Influencing his decision is the beginning of the high-profile trial for the murder of McDonald by a white police officer. Episode two, “Blood Sport,” shows us how that trial unfolds as 21 mayoral candidates declare to succeed Emanuel. The ensuing rough and tumble politics are considered “a blood sport” in Chicago circles. Episode three, “With All Due Respect to the Candidate” is highlighted by the emergence of a mayoral ballot with a record 14 candidates, the rendering of a historic verdict in the McDonald murder trial, and the federal indictment of the longest tenured city alderman in Chicago history. Episode four, “If You Want to Break the Machine,” chronicles the intense, at times ugly mayoral campaign, culminating in a surprising and historic outcome with the election of Lori Lightfoot as the city’s first Black woman and LGBTQ mayor. And episode five, “You Gotta Make It or You Gotta Take It,” brings us to one year after the mayoral election–with Chicago facing the challenges of the pandemic, the tragic death of Floyd and the mainstream social movement that emerges from it.
Collaborative bond
City So Real marks Piper’s fifth collaboration with James. They first worked together on The New Americans, with James directing a portion and Piper serving in a postproduction capacity. Piper’s involvement then escalated on James’ projects, co-producing At the Death House Door followed by The Interrupters, and then producing Life Itself. James said of Piper’s progression, “He made a transition years ago to location sound and became the best location sound recordist for documentaries in this city. Then starting with At the Death House Door, The Interrupters, Life Itself and now this miniseries, he’s become one of the really terrific producers in this business, not just in Chicago. I’ve creatively watched him grow throughout this process. He’s always been a contributor creatively. But he really came into a whole different league on this project (City So Real). He’s such a passionate lover of this city, so knowledgeable about this city. He’s forgotten more about Chicago politics than I’ve ever learned.”
Piper related that in some ways City So Real represents “a culmination of all the filmmaking I’ve been involved in to this point…Being able to go around the city and continue to meet some amazing, inspiring folks has been wonderful. I also love that the soundtrack for this series is all Chicago artists. I’m a huge music person, a lover of music, particularly old music. Being able to move around in the city that I love and to pull in this music has been special.”
Piper added that the “special” description applies to James. “Steve is one of the most open-minded directors I’ve ever worked with.” Piper affirmed that any person on the filmmaking team would tell you that James is open to their ideas. “I never feel more engaged than when I’m out there working with Steve here in Chicago.”
James has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with not only Piper but also with Nonfiction Unlimited, the production company which represents him for commercials and branded content. Though his prolific documentary filmmaking has often precluded his schedule from accommodating as many ad assignments as he’d like, James said he’s learned from the short-form world that it’s possible to have a real connection with people and profile them without necessarily having to spend months with them finding out what makes them interesting. He shared that finding a way to connect with people in at times quick fashion can still yield something meaningful. “That’s informed my documentary work,” James observed. “I’m much freer today in the field when engaging with whatever or whomever comes my way.”
