Williamsburg Regional Library

Getting Back to Abnormal

eng

videorecording

Getting Back to Abnormal

945760762

Originally produced by The Center for New American Media in 2014

90

They say that a mixture of every nation is to be found in New Orleans. But in the midst of this confusion, what race should dominate and give direction to the rest? - Alexis de Toqueville, 1832 What happens when America's most joyous, dysfunctional city rebuilds itself after a disaster? New Orleans is the setting for Getting Back to Abnormal, a film that serves up a provocative mix of race, corruption and politics to tell the story of the re-election campaign of Stacy Head, a white woman in a city council seat traditionally held by a black representative. Supported by her irrepressible African-American aide Barbara Lacen-Keller, Head polarizes the city as her candidacy threatens to diminish the power and influence of its black citizens. Featuring a cast of characters as colorful as the city itself, the film presents a New Orleans that outsiders rarely see. AwardsOfficial Selection of the 2013 SXSW Film Festival Reviews One of the most acute, brilliant and profound docs ever made about race in America. - Gerald Peary, The Boston Phoenix Excellent... A sobering look at the reverberations of segregation, but Abnormal also offers a surprisingly lighthearted glimpse of the Big Easy's salty-sweet locals. - Jason Clark, Entertainment Weekly Embodies all the drama of living life in 'post-racial' America. - Jon Garelick, The Boston Globe A look at the stark racial, economic and cultural divisions that characterize post-Katrina politics in New Orleans. This is a film unlike any you have ever seen before. - Charlie Cook, National Journal Every frame is full of life... New Orleans is always ready for its close-up. - Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times The filmmakers have deep history here, and a credits list equally deep in cultural exploration and appreciation - Dave Walker, The Times-Picayune

live action