It is summer, and even when the weather is bad, people don’t flock to the theater to see documentaries. 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets is playing in a fourteen seat theater in Boston, and I was one of three people at one showing. I wouldn’t have even known that 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets existed if I didn’t periodically check what is playing at my favorite local theaters.
I knew that I would pay to see 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets. 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets is about a trial that arose shortly after the George Zimmerman case so it didn’t get as much attention as it could have under different circumstances. Four (black) teenagers were shot at by a middle aged (white) guy, Michael Dunn, who then drove off without calling the police even though he later claimed that he was afraid of them and was standing his ground. Dunn killed one of the teenagers, Jordan Davis. I knew about the case, but didn’t follow it closely because who needs the aggravation of another not guilty verdict.
3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets mainly focuses on the trial, but also includes interviews with Davis’ friends and parents, recordings of Dunn’s prison calls and 911 calls. 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets does a great job of showing and not telling: a casual beach bunny with a Confederate Flag bikini bottom, the look on the faces of the guards at the trial, the witnesses’ demeanor. By choosing footage where Dunn clearly cares about his new puppy more than human beings, 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets clearly takes sides, but is divided in its points: stand your ground is a repugnant law, and racism is imagining someone is a fatherless gangster instead of a suburban teen. The key witness is a bit of a shock considering how Dunn sees himself in relation to the world.
3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets may not be a joy to watch, is a fairly standard documentary and is probably a preach to the choir documentary, but if we want more movies like it to be made, go to the theater and pay some money.