At the beginning of “Civil,” a documentary about civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, a call from George Floyd’s cousin Terra Brown comes to Crump’s office. Crump listens compassionately as Brown talks about the 2020 killing of his cousin by Minneapolis police officers. Crump gently provides her with advice on her next steps, then puts her head in her hands. The image of Crump holding her head and Crump rubbing her eyes is repeated throughout the “civil”. It’s an ongoing injustice and a tired physical reaction to the schedule of pursuing proceedings aimed at keeping lawyers on planes and his smartphones and forcing police and local governments to make monetary payments, and the media. The opinion court pays attention.
Most viewers may recognize Crump as a prominent statutory representative of the Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamil Rice, Breona Taylor, and Andre Hill families, as well as Floyd. He was killed during his encounter with the police.
Director Nadia Hallgren filmed Crump for a year between 2020 and 2021. Her portrait has an example of intimacy along the tag. Calling Crump’s wife Jennae and her daughter Brooklyn and checking in with her mother Helen provide ballast in the midst of turmoil. And the biographical details about the college, law school, and fraternity that shaped Crump make fun of his roots in the black community.
Still, “citizens” bring less insight than expected. Sometimes a neat documentary feels like it’s tailored to a Crump suit. (Maybe this happens when Verite-style filmmaking follows such a camera-compatible subject?) Given Crump’s important role in a serious proceeding, “civil” could be an important viewing. There is a sex, but it is not always clear.
Citizen: Ben Clamp
It is rated as PG-13 due to its violent language and image of violence. Execution time: 1 hour 41 minutes. Watch it on Netflix.