Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: THE NEUTRAL GROUND [New Orleans Film Festival 2021 - Virtual]
The intention of history and the impact it has on people is especially prevalent on the South with pride on both sides of the argument. The bringing down of Confederate monuments is an interesting push and pull but it ultimately always comes down to the story being told in “The Neutral Ground” [Louisiana Features]. There is shame. There is ego. There is anger. The last time this reviewer visited New Orleans Plantation Country, some of the historical spaces were just beginning to adjust more to telling the slaves stories in detail, with Whitney Plantation being at the forefront. This reviewer also was exposed in depth on that trip at another former plantation along the river of the 1811 Slave Massacre which was intense and violent but also glossed over in history by the French colonists per se to fit their narrative. The story director CJ Hunt follows is an interesting one of identity because he is of mixed race (Filipino I believe and black).
Hunt's black father is outspoken but also quite focused in his history and beliefs which is an interesting build for Hunt as he moves to New Orleans to continue his work as a teacher. At he same time (pre pandemic), the entire deconstruction and movement to take out the monuments began. It was approved despite the protests (sometimes violent) on both sides (from some personalities that will likely surprise viewers but the removal was delayed again and again. Hunt is not a professional filmmaker or interviewer by nature but he does come across authentic (if not a little naïve -- which is part of the point). As the movement gains speed, the sides become more divided but you can see Hunt's perspective shift as well. The beauty here is that Hunt does it with a nice subtle sense of humor that is genuine yet informed, self deprecating and yet educating. "The Neutral Ground" shows a current tug of war in the South (he also happened to be in Charlottesville when that violent incident occurred). These conflicts are all too "now" as the country tries to find itself in balancing both a woke culture and people that are angry for different reasons (whether they are right or not in their mind and in the greater context). B
By Tim Wassberg
