Keep It In The Streets

directed by:
Everett Bumstead
written by:
Everett Bumstead
genre:
Documentary

Writing about Everett Bumstead's film "Keep It In The Streets" is difficult for me. How do you write about something that's about everything - and also about nothing specifically? It's really hard to find a focal point and yet also... so easy. The meat and potatoes of this film is people. As a well known individual used to say, the people that you meet when you're walking down the street. As stated in the film, the goal was to walk around and meet/talk with as many people as possible. Sooner or later, a story should emerge. Perhaps not a standard A to B kind of story, but a reflection of the time. To me, "Keep It In The Streets" felt like it was about humanity. About people in general. The need of so many to fit in with social norms - and on the flip-side - to steer clear and just do them. A snapshot of today from the streets of Vancouver Canada.

You would think that a collection of open ended interviews, with random people would be boring or scatter-brained. People are people after all, and opinions and thoughts can be so very different from person to person. Opinions are like bum-holes. Everyone's got one. Right? I would also be a liar if I wrote that I agreed with everything that was said here - yet this film demonstrates what true life is all about. Different outlooks of the world. A personalized take on ones surrounding environment, through the eyes of strangers and unconnected people. But are they truly not connected? Yes and no. Maybe as individuals, many are strangers but they are all connected by where they live. If you subscribe to the six degrees of separation rule - the people interviewed may not be as stranger-like as you may think.
And that's just it reader. It really is interesting, and entertaining, to see and hear some of these folks. To witness so many thoughts, ideas and even political stances on so many things. "Keep It In The Streets" truly is a digital snapshot of a point in time. Not rehearsed, coached or practiced. Bumstead's unusual documentary is raw, gritty and almost musical. As I started this write-up saying, it's so very hard to nail down using a keyboard. You really need to see it to get it.
Normally, I would go into a technical rant at this point. I'm going to skip it and simply write that "Keep It In The Streets" looks, on the surface, like any other documentary you're likely to see. The only real take away here is the great content, and the way it's all put together. This film zooms by. Some excellent footage choices and editing no doubt. Surely the sign of a good film is when it's over before you know it.
At the end of the day? "Keep It In The Streets" is an entertaining hour and a bit. It may, at times, even rub up against the educational territories. But it really is about people. An excellent addition to any time capsule. For keeping it real and coloring outside the lines, Everett Bumstead's film earns a solid three and a half stars. In this reviewers opinion. A solid, interesting and entertaining documentary. No question.