Detropia

In 1930, Detroit was the fastest growing city in the world. Today, it is the fastest shrinking city in the United States, with over 100,000 abandoned homes and vacant lots and a crippling financial situation. This sad fact appears in the early part of Ewing and Grady's (Jesus Camp) film on the continuing decline of the Motor City. The directors view this through the eyes of three individuals: a young blogger who draws parallels between present problems and the city's past; the president of a UAW local that faces cuts in member wages and benefits so GM may accept a federal government bailout; and the owner of a bar frequented by autoworkers who reflects on the city's past, present, and future. Viewers also meet unemployed men who get by through salvaging scrap metal and young artists setting up studio space in the city center. Throughout, viewers see a proud city now down on its luck, with its citizens attempting to build a future. The documentary is available in a feature length and in a shorter version intended for classroom use. VERDICT Highly recommended for all viewers. [Short-listed for the 2013 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Ed.]-Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Parkersburg Lib. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.