Riotsville, USA

A defiant critique of how political narratives are crafted to hurt communities.

A shiver of disquiet runs right through it.

Riotsville, USA is a definitely worth your time and attention.

What “Riotsville, USA” gets right about that pivotal year, and every year since, is the governmental paranoia and overreaction.

Sierra Pettengill’s disquieting documentary uses only archival footage shot by the military and clips from period news coverage to explore this uncanny episode in the country’s history.

It's a documentary about futility, about people trying to understand the problem of unrest but unwilling to understand the problem.

The narration is slow, but the film gives you a vivid trip back in time with its array of archive visual material — not only from TV news but also from army sources.

This is a polemic, but one that burns steadily under the surface and asks the viewer to take a measured approach to its material.

The film does not need to be flashy or abstract in the editing style as there is plenty to keep you engaged purely on the information and archival footage.

Pettengill’s film feels less like a historical documentary and more like a personal video essay, wry and angry, aimed at the military-industrial complex.