Street

Street

If filmmakers go for a documentary approach which works, it will give the subjects a chance to speak on their own right, thus the documentary becomes a time capsule of the society. Director Zed Nelson has almost managed it with his works in telling the story of the vanishing people from an area in London’s East End. Hoxton Street in Shoreditch known for its busy market is undergoing all sorts of transformations.

Its proximity within the City of London made it a prime candidate. The bulldozers are ready and waiting and are excited to tear up every portion of land. The movie follows the natives over a duration of 4 years. A period that coinmates with the aftermath of Brexit and the social isolation of Grenfell Tower. The plot has a special connection towards me as well; being brought up just a few meters away in South Hackney; and absolutely fascinated by the story.

It seems that our story is set in a buoyant well-established market where one can easily find traders like a car mechanic, a carpet shop, a bakery, and of course Cooks the famous pie and mash shop. Fast forward to Brexit and the whole picture is turned upside down as coffee bars, deli’s and art galleries spring up to cater for a gentrified clientele. There’s a new skyline of expensive tower blocks with flats costing £1 million but social and affordable housing don’t bother asking. The locals are simply not locals anymore. They have been driven out of an area that they could barely afford to breathe in, let alone live in.

People like Errol the car mechanic can only pine for the community that he used to be a part of.

The Street tries its best to maintain neutrality, and as such interviewed a great estate agent, priest, developer and newbies on the block. However, the most touching contribution was made by the 82 year old; Never married Colleen, who now feels a bit confused among the rapid changes around her. The desire for balance is commendable but cannot hide the fact that there are some hard realities; money is the ultimate authority and does not care about community.

Gentrification is a nasty word. It suggests that a more socially desirable population has moved into a working class neighborhood when the issue is simply one of the haves and have not’s.

Everyone has the right to spend their earnings according to their preferences even if it makes the cost of housing more expensive. However, when authorities permit unregulated growth, it makes many people live as second-class citizens. Some would say that they are a new community but with money to spend. However, these newcomers are usually passing through and are socially oblivious.

Many things have been as they are but time and evolution have to take place. But then, is it really necessary to render a place uninhabitable at all costs in order to gain land. Is it really wise to throw the baby out with the bathwater; are some values of our predecessors obsolete? Zed Nelson uses very basic methods to achieve stunning results. He takes his camera to the people and seeks their views. It needs no upgrade as the story is articulate and clear in the way it is told. The Street is mostly definitely insightful and entertaining, a realistic depiction of but oftentimes harsh reality of contemporary life.

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