Positive
Force: More Than A Witness (2014/PM Press/MVD DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: C Extras: B- Film: B-
30
Years of Punk Politics in Action...
This
feature-length film by indie filmmaker Robin Bell skillfully mixes
rare archival footage (including electrifying live performances from
Fugazi, Bikini Kill, One Last Wish, Nation of Ulysses, Crispus
Attucks, Anti-Flag, and more) with new interviews with key PF
activists and supporters. The project was funded on Kickstarter in
2011 for only 16 thousand!
Covering
a span of 25 years, More Than A Witness documents the life and
times of punk rock activist collective Positive Force DC. If you are
unfamiliar with Positive Force, it is a Punk activist collective in
Washington DC that emerged in 1985, rising from the creative,
politically-charged ferment of DC punk's Revolution Summer. Born in
a dynamic local scene sparked by Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and Rites
of Spring, a handful of young activists also drew inspiration from UK
anarcho-punks Crass and the original Positive Force band Seven
Seconds to become one of the most long-lasting and influential
exponents of punk politics. Their motto is to be more than a witness
and help out those that are in need.
Through
it all, Positive Force has persisted, remaining deeply rooted in
their hometown, reaching out to those in need and building bridges
between diverse communities, while regularly bringing punk protest to
the front doors of the powers-that-be. Encompassing an ever-evolving
cast of characters, the all-volunteer group has helped to nurture
several generations of activists. In the best punk fashion, PF has
applied creative DIY tactics and radical critiques to issues of
homelessness, hunger, racism, corporate globalization, sexism,
homophobia, war, gentrification, and animal/earth liberation, while
struggling to constructively address conflicting dynamics and visions
within the group itself.
More
Than a Witness documents Positive Force's Reagan-era origins, the
creation of its communal house, FBI harassment, and the rise of a
vibrant underground that burst into the mainstream amidst controversy
over both the means and the ends of the movement. The film is
tightly shot and edited but is very short - around 70 minutes which
is perfect for a film of this subject.
Sound
and Picture are standard for DVD with a 1.78 X 1/16 X 9 anamorphic
widescreen with a 1.77:1 aspect ratio and a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0
Stereo track.
Extras
include:
Wake
Up! A Profile of Positive Force
Green
Hair, Gray Hair
Punks,
Votes, Rios
Live
at Positive Force with bonus performances by Fugazi, Seven Seconds,
Chumbawamba, Anti-Flag, Soulside, The Evens, and Defeaters.
If
you're punk or not, this is an interesting documentary on a
compelling political subject and is a well executed documentary on
the subject.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
