Residue tells a moving story of loss and resentment
Residue, written and directed by Merawi Gerima, is a Netflix film that follows the story of Jay (Obinna Nwachukwu), a young screenwriter who moves back to his childhood neighbourhood in Q Street, Washington, D.C. Jay’s old home is changing in ways he cannot accept, and his stated mission is to write a film script about Q Street, documenting what is happening there to give a voice to the voiceless.
What drew me to the film was the theme of gentrification and the loss of a place that one once knew as home. As someone who grew up poor in Vancouver’s West End, I thought it would be something I could relate to. Residue, however, is something different. It is not so much about money; Jay does not seem to have any trouble moving back to Q Street years later. Rather, it is the changed social dynamics, not only of the affluent newcomers, but also of the family and friends that Jay left behind and is trying to reconnect with that are at the heart of the story.
Jay’s motivations are not so simple or idealistic as being an advocate for his community. Before he even arrives, a disembodied voice questions whether Jay means to try to save his gentrifying neighbourhood, or whether he wants to document for posterity a time and place he knows is doomed.
This is not the only time Jay’s justifications and interpretation of reality are called into question. One of Jay’s friends points out, in an indirect but not very subtle way, that if Jay really cared about the fate of his community, he would have stayed instead of running off to Hollywood. Another scene shows us a conversation mostly as how Jay feels it ought to be happening — talking with his friend in a tranquil forest where they used to play as kids, instead of in the prison visiting area where it is really happening. Finally, as the story continues, Jay loses sight of his screenwriting ambitions as he becomes consumed with finding Demetrius, a close childhood friend of his. All the while, Jay descends into anger and despair as he discovers the people and places he once knew and loved are changed beyond recognition or simply gone. Despite his increasingly urgent search and questioning, Demetrius, the most cherished part of Jay’s childhood, is nowhere to be found.
Residue uses very unconventional cinematography which serves to keep us squarely rooted within Jay’s perspective, even going so far as to blur and muffle sights and sounds he would not be paying attention to. The film also illustrates racial and cultural divides through use of camera work. Jay, along with the rest of the main cast, are black and shown in full detail, but white people and figures of authority are often facing away from the viewer, have their faces cropped out of the shot, or are off camera entirely, making them seem less real and less human. This depersonalization is a reflection of how Jay sees these newcomers to his home turf.
Although, the newcomers are by no means blameless. Jay’s first interaction with his new white, middle-class neighbours has one of them complain about him loitering and threaten to call the police, which, considering the history of disproportionate use of force by police against black people in the United States, is even more outrageous from Jay’s perspective. The climactic confrontation comes when a pair of white men blatantly cross the street to avoid Jay, which moves him to react. Yet Jay, for his part, is unwilling to build bridges. Unlike his family, who are willing to socialize with the newcomers to Q Street, Jay scornfully refuses to have anything to do with them. His simmering resentment ultimately boils over into the film’s climax.
Overall, Residue conveys themes of racism, violence, flawed personalities, and loss in a hard-hitting way. In large part, this is helped by the unconventional techniques the film uses. Most scenes have a claustrophobic and off-kilter feel to them, which amplifies the emotional tension.
Having said that, I think the director may have gone too far in using these artistic techniques. I often found it difficult to understand the details, both in terms of being able to perceive them, and also in interpreting their significance. It often feels as if the story is composed of disjointed bits and pieces that require the audience to put them together into a coherent narrative.
There is one major exception to this, which is a scene at the climax that is made even more powerful thanks to its contrast with everything else. It clearly breaks from Jay’s perspective to give us a panoramic shot of the area and shows a pair of white characters, including their faces. It simultaneously shows both how Jay views people like them and how they view people like Jay, as if seeing through the eyes of both the viewer and their reflection at once.
Personally, I think the film could have benefitted from a few more scenes like this, which gives the audience a sense of things as a whole instead of showing us constricted and disconnected slices of it.
In spite of these flaws, I admire the inventive and powerful way that Residue shows character and emotions. If you are browsing Netflix, I would definitely say it is worth a view. Residue uses an outside-the-box approach to storytelling that I wouldn’t mind seeing more of, if the kinks are worked out.
