Seat 31 and Her Fight, His Name Review: Two Short Documentaries
Streaming Movie Review - Documentary
Short films are fascinating because the filmmakers have a limited amount of time in which to tell a story. This applies to short form documentaries as well. The directors have to make very economical choices about what story they want to present. I recently had the opportunity to screen two short documentaries, Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr by director Kimberly Reed, and Her Fight, His Name: The Story of Gwen Carr and Eric Garner by Brad Bailey. While these two films are about vastly different situations, they both have similar themes, hence the combined review.
In Seat 31, Reed follows Zooey Zephyr, an openly trans State Representative in Montana. During her first term, she opposed a bill that would strip minors of access to gender-affirming care. When she said that those who voted in favor would have blood on their hands, she was barred from the state House floor. The documentary follows her through the legislative session as she conducts her work from a bench outside of the chamber and plans a special proposal.
Her Fight, His Name is the story of Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner who died at the hands of police for selling loose cigarettes in New York in 2014. His final words, “I can’t breathe,” became a battle cry for those in the fight against police brutality. In this documentary, Bailey shares the life and words of Gwen Carr as she continues to fight for justice for her son and for the children of others who have died due to police violence.
These two documentaries tackle different stories. One is a woman simply trying to do her job while facing discrimination from her co-workers. The other is a woman who is seeking some kind of recompense following the murder of her son while living with the ongoing grief related to his death. But while they are not the same, there is a thread of watching these women trying to use their circumstances to help their marginalized communities.
Because these are both short films, there is little screen time devoted to anything beyond these women. Seat 31 was filmed in a more active way, as we watch Rep. Zephyr going about her work in the State Capitol and speaking directly to the camera about what she’s doing. Her Fight, His Name is more of a seated interview, cut together with footage of her giving speeches and performing the activism that she has come to be known for over the past decade.
The greatest similarity between these two films, however, is that both embrace a sense of hope. Seat 31 ends with a queer prom and a marriage proposal. Her Fight, His Name ends with the note that because of Carr’s work, chokeholds are no longer allowed in the NYPD. For each of these women, and for the filmmakers sharing their stories, the message is clear. We cannot give up. No matter the struggle, there is hope to be found.
Watch Seat 31 below:
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on December 14, 2024.