17 Blocks

Name: 17 Blocks
Genre: Documentary
Released: November 1, 2019
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 81

2019

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Universal acclaim based on 8 Critic Reviews

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17 Blocks

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Movie Details & Credits

MTV Documentary Films | Release Date: November 1, 2019 | Not Rated

Summary: Footage from two decades of intimate home video is used to tell the story of the Sanford family, who live just 17 blocks from the U.S. Capitol and whose struggles with addiction and gun violence lead them through a journey of love, loss, and acceptance.

Director: Davy Rothbart

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 96 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Michael O'Sullivan

Feb 16, 2021

It’s rare that a documentary has the ability to take the kind of long view of events that establishes context and consequence. Read full review

The Playlist Warren Cantrell

May 4, 2019

And while it’s a difficult sit sometimes, “17 Blocks” is essential viewing for anyone interested in how the confluence of race and class have codified into a sort of informal caste for an entire subsection of America’s citizenry. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Matt Zoller Seitz

Feb 19, 2021

An engrossing and frequently extraordinary feature. Read full review

Selome Hailu

Feb 26, 2021

Even when the direction is heavy-handed, the Sanfords are just too compelling to ignore. Read full review

Robert Abele

Feb 18, 2021

It’s valuable when any vérité documentary with such a vantage point is able to show us how many societal ills — from addiction to gun violence to poverty to gentrification to incarceration — can touch one family, keeping them in a near-constantly reeling state. Read full review

Stephen Whitty

May 4, 2019

17 Blocks ... is packed with gritty realism, and at times its uncensored honesty almost makes you want to look away. Read full review

Hanna B

May 4, 2019

The film is as intimate as it can be, but at times, feels like an invasion of privacy. Read full review

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Brent_Marchant

Mar 10, 2021

Culled from 20 years of raw video footage, this up-close look at a Washington, DC family afflicted by the perils of drug addiction and gun violence examines the challenges of dealing with temptation, fending off negative influences and seeking redemption. In doing so, this grippingCulled from 20 years of raw video footage, this up-close look at a Washington, DC family afflicted by the perils of drug addiction and gun violence examines the challenges of dealing with temptation, fending off negative influences and seeking redemption. In doing so, this gripping documentary tells a story of questionable choices, profound heartbreak and the search for inspiration to turn things around. While the film sometimes comes across as a slice of life vehicle at the outset, it definitely grows stronger with the passage of time, presenting material that's increasingly more involving and heartrending as it proceeds. Director Davy Rothbart's sensitive but uncensored look at a family in crisis deservedly earned a 2020 Independent Spirit Award nomination for the competition's Truer Than Fiction Award, a quality that comes through loud and clear in this engaging offering.… Expand

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