A City in The Forest
When the city of Atlanta announces plans to build the largest police training center in the US, destroying a vital forest in the process, an activist movement mobilises to stop “Cop City”. Our DocCritics gave their rundown of what to expect from this reckoning of policing, environmental justice, and democracy.
Aisha's Review:
A City In The Forest throws itself at the volatile intersection between ecology, state power, and
grassroots resistance. Directed by Lev Omelchenko and Nolan Huber, the documentary is set during
the 2020 George Floyd uprising in Atlanta, where an urban forest faces destruction to make way for a
large-scale police training facility, starting a sustained activist movement for those who felt unheard.
The forest begins to evolve into a place where visions of the future are clashing, where one is deep in
communal care and the other in institutional control.
The film’s strength lies in its refusal to diminish this tension. Instead, it lingers in the grey areas, allowing the voices of activists, residents, and authorities to coexist uneasily. Emotional significance is felt throughout the film as they carry so
much pain while constantly pushing for change, yet things out of their control always fight against it.
They refuse to shy away from the truth.
Visually, the documentary draws on the raw richness of its setting. The way the camera tends to
focus on the textures of bark, soil, and bodies moving through undergrowth reinforces the intimacy
between people and places. This detail is what allows the film to grow into something exquisite, as it
allows you to connect with the pain of those who feel unheard. The pacing throughout the film
mirrors the chaos of the protests themselves, changing between moments of stillness and sudden
escalation.
Ultimately, the film focuses less on resolution and depends on endurance. Although social justice for
the things people believe in may be pushed against, the passion that was nurtured will continue to echo beyond its boundaries, as it can not be contained or silenced.
Robin's review:
Lev Omelchenko and Nolan Huber have created a wonderfully diverse insight into the lives of activists and protestors in addition to the corruption and rampant racism within Atlanta and the wider United States, through the “Cop City” saga. The filmmakers being present at historic and personal events has led to them creating a detailed narrative documenting the movement from the start to the present day.
Composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe has created a beautiful soundtrack that compliments the contrast between rebellion and peace, with tranquil pieces intertwined with those that are more intense and overwhelming. They compliment the emotions and ideas the film portrays.
Identity is a very important aspect of “A City in the Forest” and the people within the documentary encapsulate this, featuring many queer and ethnically diverse individuals. Many of these people are unnamed, yet you feel their passion and become attached to their motives and goals.
Furthermore, the presentation of the film mirrors the various perspectives portrayed; smartphone footage, archival photography, news broadcasts, social media content and digital film were used, this incorporates a variety of aspect ratios. This choice by the directors to humanise the presentation allows for the viewer to feel personally attached to the movement, with different formats providing insight into different opinions and emotions.
