All White in Barking (2007) Poster

User Reviews

Review this title
1 Review
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
10/10
Mark Issacs does an interesting study...
MarieGabrielle3 August 2011
This documentary is not shown often in the U.S. Sometimes you may catch it on Link TV or free speech TV. It is very interesting in that it simply documents the residents of a London neighborhood, Barking, which is in process of changing, new people moving in, others moving out. Similar to class division issues in New York in the 1970's, when the cultures and ethnic diversity began to change.

I like films that address this as I am from New York and feel that especially in the U.S. certain regions are isolated and inured to reality. "All White In Barking" shows older Anglo couples, business owners who lived in Barking for 50 years and now have a hard time in the economy, new neighbors from Ethiopia, and a Jewish WWII veteran who has his Jamaican assistant as a new girlfriend, he attends a reunion and we see various mixes of people.

What we come away with is a tapestry of human emotion, complicated, some racism and class-ism, and outright hypocrisy. People are people, and should be able to learn to live together, peaceably. The one segment disturbing was the family from East Africa which invites their neighbors, an older British couple to visit for dinner. They have different rituals and food. The couples are genial, but once they return home the older couple decides to be civil, but not overtly friendly.

An interesting issue worth watching, to explore people and their various attitudes toward change and diversity. Recommended.
6 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed