Genre: Documentary
Release Year: 2014
Runtime: 103
Language: English
Director: Gabriella Kessler
Plot: Braddock, America is a feature length documentary set in Braddock, Pennsylvania, a town (actually a circle of boroughs) that has been the stage for momentous events, out of proportion with its constrained area. From George Washington to Andrew Carnegie, through the French and Indian War to the collapse of the steel industry, these few acres along the Monongahela River have always been a battleground.
In its own way, through immigration, industrialization, the rise of trade unionism and its destiny in question, Braddock tells a story of America: a rebellious, combatant America inhabited by men and women who refuse to accept the violence inflicted upon them. “Resist much, obey little,†Walt Whitman urged his fellow citizens and indeed his words could be the motto of this film. The Monongahela Valley has been heavily stricken by the steel crisis and the shutdowns of the mills in the 80’s. It is probably easier to find more enchanting places in the world, but if many don’t imagine leaving the valley, it is because they know that this tiny parcel of land bears the traces, buried in its soil and in their memories, of events that helped build the history of their nation. This same awareness leads them to believe that such a special place might one day help map out a future for the United States.