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80% Critic Match
Man on Fire
“One town's racism. One preacher's sacrifice.”
8.0 / 10• 2018• 54m•NR• English
Documentary
Storyline
Grand Saline, Texas, was a sleepy, unremarkable town—until a white preacher lit himself on fire to protest the town's racism in 2014. The subject of this film is deceptively straightforward: A minister commits suicide by setting himself on fire. He leaves behind a letter that frames his decision as a religious response to the intolerable racism of America's past and present, particularly in his Texas hometown. The aftermath is befuddling: There are townspeople who can recall incidents of racial violence and hate speech, and those who have never seen anything of the kind. Black folk in surrounding towns who share rumors and fears about acts of violence, and white folk who say you can't believe everything you hear. Fellow ministers who share the desire to be liberated from a racist past, and churchgoers who believe only mental illness could explain such a suicide.
Cast & Crew
RB
Ron Blanton
Self
LeadWhat People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Joel Fendelman's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
4.0
“Every frame feels alive. Man on Fire is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
