SummaryFootage from two decades of intimate home video is used to tell the story of the Sanford family, who live just 17 blocks from the U.S. Capitol and whose struggles with addiction and gun violence lead them through a journey of love, loss, and acceptance.
Directed By:Davy Rothbart
Written By:Mark Monroe, Davy Rothbart, Jennifer Tiexiera
17 Blocks
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
81
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
88% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
13% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Feb 16, 2021
100
It’s rare that a documentary has the ability to take the kind of long view of events that establishes context and consequence.
May 4, 2019
91
And while it’s a difficult sit sometimes, “17 Blocks” is essential viewing for anyone interested in how the confluence of race and class have codified into a sort of informal caste for an entire subsection of America’s citizenry.
Feb 26, 2021
78
Even when the direction is heavy-handed, the Sanfords are just too compelling to ignore.
Feb 18, 2021
70
It’s valuable when any vérité documentary with such a vantage point is able to show us how many societal ills — from addiction to gun violence to poverty to gentrification to incarceration — can touch one family, keeping them in a near-constantly reeling state.
May 4, 2019
70
17 Blocks ... is packed with gritty realism, and at times its uncensored honesty almost makes you want to look away.
May 4, 2019
55
The film is as intimate as it can be, but at times, feels like an invasion of privacy.
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Production Company:
- 21 Balloons Productions
- Beachside Films
- Bunny Lake Films
Release Date:Nov 1, 2019
Duration:1 h 36 m
Awards
Woodstock Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Champs-Élysées Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Melbourne Documentary Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
