"Incident", directed by Bill Morrison, is a short film that approaches violence with a disturbing urgency. Instead of exploring the aftermath of the act, Morrison goes straight to the point, using a mix of split-screen and footage captured by security cameras and bodycams to show the murder of a Black man in Chicago in 2018. Morrison's aesthetic choice to focus on the immediate and visceral creates an intense and uncomfortable experience. The audience is confronted with the rawness of the event, triggering an emotional response that mixes anger, sadness, and a sense of helplessness in the face of the explicit brutality and the institutional indifference that follows the act.
The film makes use of public archive material, a choice that not only places violence at the center of the narrative but also exposes how systems of power, like the police, often protect themselves by rationalizing and covering up what happened. The editing is one of the most powerful tools here, as Morrison manipulates time and space to amplify the audience's perception, playing with the chaos of the situation while the community around the event disintegrates into rage and indignation. What is most disturbing is that, by piecing together these fragments of footage and sounds, the film makes us feel the dehumanization of the moment, as if we are there, powerless, watching a life being taken with no purpose or justification.
"Incident" is not an easy film to watch, and that's intentional. Violence and death are depicted head-on, with no attempt to soften the impact. But it's exactly this intensity that makes the film an essential work for reflection and action. By exposing reality so directly and without adornments, Morrison forces the audience to confront the harsh truths about systemic racism and police brutality. In an age of viral videos and quick reactions, the film is a call to action, reminding us of the role of media, society, and art in shaping our perception of violence and its consequences.
