Practically every circumstance surrounding the 2015 death of 28-year-old Chicagoan Sandra Bland has been called into question, but a few things are certain. When Bland was pulled over in a small Texas town for switching lanes without proper signalling, things escalated quickly, and he officer who pulled her over arrested her. Three days later, authorities claimed to have found Sandra Bland hanging from a noose in her jail cell, an apparent suicide. But soon other details emerged—notably the footage of Bland’s arrest and details of her last days in custody—that had her family and friends and the general public asking what really happened. This documentary by Kate Davis and David Heilbroner examines accounts from the police and from Bland’s relatives and the larger issue of race in America, but it keeps Bland’s life and her commitment to fighting racial injustice front and center, ensuring she always remains a person rather than a glorified symbol.
Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland
NR • 1 hour 45 min • 2018
