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A Crime on the Bayou

Play trailer 2:40 Poster for A Crime on the Bayou Released Jun 18, 2021 1h 31m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 24 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A Crime on the Bayou is the story of Gary Duncan, a Black teenager from Plaquemines Parish, a swampy strip of land south of New Orleans. In 1966, Duncan tries to break up an argument between white and Black teenagers outside a newly integrated school. He gently lays his hand on a white boy's arm. The boy recoils like a snake. That night, police burst into Duncan's trailer and arrest him for assault on a minor. A young Jewish attorney, Richard Sobol, leaves his prestigious D.C. firm to volunteer in New Orleans. With his help, Duncan bravely stands up to a racist legal system powered by a white supremacist boss to challenge his unfair arrest. Their fight goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and their lifelong friendship is forged.
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A Crime on the Bayou

Critics Reviews

View All (24) Critics Reviews
Peter Rainer FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles) It's a good, straightforward documentary. Jun 22, 2021 Full Review Robert Daniels Los Angeles Times Buirski's 90-minute film, "A Crime on the Bayou," reminds us how Duncan and Sobol are pillars of courage. Jun 20, 2021 Full Review Steven Boone RogerEbert.com Filmmaker Nancy Buirski has an elegant, judicious way of imparting the facts of the case, taking not just the political temperature of the moment (boiling) but finely sketching the character and minds of the people involved. Rated: 4/4 Jun 18, 2021 Full Review Sarah Vincent Cambridge Day The film’s narrative has some inherent problems, as it rewinds constantly to provide backstory before proceeding, but it’s well worth a little repetition to see how far we have come and be shocked at how little has changed. Rated: 2.5/4 Aug 16, 2023 Full Review Peter Canavese Celluloid Dreams Does a good job in balancing the legal, the political and the personal in the telling of its story. Rated: 3/4 Jul 18, 2021 Full Review Robin Clifford Reeling Reviews makes for the opposite of a story of a miscarriage of justice. Could we have here a story of the carriage of justice? Rated: B Jun 24, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (5) audience reviews
ken s. The portraits of the characters were down to earth, realistic. The cinematography was beautiful, stunning in some points. However, the numerous characters became difficult to track as the movie rolled on. Overall, a fine experience. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/02/21 Full Review gaston too much focus on the lawyer and not the main character Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/25/21 Full Review David H The initial situation was hard to take at first, but it resonates all the way up through George Floyd's treatment. It's interesting that the conversations in this film are either re-enactments from court records or audio recordings, but was what blew the Derek Chauvin trial open was video taken by a bystander teenage girl. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/21/21 Full Review Dave S While the documentary A Crime on the Bayou doesn't provide any new insights into the problem of race relations in the United States (yes, it exists and seems to thrive in the current climate), it succeeds on the strength of its story. In 1965, a young Louisiana man attempts to stop a fight between two black boys and a group of white students by placing his hand on the arm of one of the white boys. Later that day, a warrant is issued for his arrest, ultimately leading to an assault charge. Filled with excellent archival footage and interviews, from both then and now, with those involved in the travesty of justice, it is reminder that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/03/24 Full Review Hillary J It was super. Very touching and inspirational. It wouldn't have happened but for some very brave individuals. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
A Crime on the Bayou

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Movie Info

Synopsis A Crime on the Bayou is the story of Gary Duncan, a Black teenager from Plaquemines Parish, a swampy strip of land south of New Orleans. In 1966, Duncan tries to break up an argument between white and Black teenagers outside a newly integrated school. He gently lays his hand on a white boy's arm. The boy recoils like a snake. That night, police burst into Duncan's trailer and arrest him for assault on a minor. A young Jewish attorney, Richard Sobol, leaves his prestigious D.C. firm to volunteer in New Orleans. With his help, Duncan bravely stands up to a racist legal system powered by a white supremacist boss to challenge his unfair arrest. Their fight goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and their lifelong friendship is forged.
Director
Nancy Buirski
Producer
Nancy Buirski, Claire L. Chandler, Susan Margolin
Screenwriter
Nancy Buirski
Distributor
Shout! Studios
Production Co
Artemis Rising Foundation, Get Lifted Film Company, Augusta Films
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 18, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 3, 2021
Runtime
1h 31m
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