A new documentary from Oscar-nominated film maker Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) digs deep into the long-running battle between property developers and an African American family in North Carolina. In the process bringing the issue of land loss in Black communities to light.
How to watch Silver Dollar Road in New Zealand
Silver Dollar Road is now streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime in New Zealand.
Silver Dollar Road
What is Silver Dollar Road about?
The Reels family have lived on the property known as Silver Dollar Road since shortly after the US Civil War, when Mamie Reels Ellison’s great-grandfather bought 65 acres of swampland. In the intervening years, what was once near-worthless wetland has become prime waterfront property. A dodgy deal saw developers Adams Creek Associates gain a legal claim to part of the property and, as a result of the ensuing legal dogfight, brothers Melvin Davis and Licurtis Reels were jailed for eight years for contempt of court after they refused to vacate their homes.
Based on a ProPublica article by Lizzie Presser and with Viola Davis on board as executive producer, Silver Dollar Road is both the story of one family’s battle to save their ancestral home and a shocking exposé of how Black landowners are frequently dispossessed thanks to a historically biased legal system.
The cast of Silver Dollar Road
The Reels family, including Mamie, Melvin, Licurtis, 95-year-old grandmother Gertrude, niece Kim Duhon, and the rest of their extended and rather sprawling clan.
Silver Dollar Road trailer
What are the critics saying about Silver Dollar Road?
Silver Dollar Road is earning strong favourable reviews, with the film’s empathetic portrayal of a family in crisis drawing praise. It’s a David vs Goliath battle where the law is on Goliath’s side, but actual justice is clearly weighted towards the little guy. It’s a thoroughly gripping documentary about an important but often invisible issue, but expect to yell at your TV more than once during this one.
