Let the Fire Burn (2013) on Netflix
NR20131h 35mDocumentary
In 1985, Philadelphia police try to evict the black liberation group MOVE from its Osage Avenue row house. The documentary tells the story of the standoff that follows.
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- Netflix4.4/5
- IMDb7.8/101,515 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes98%
Trailer
Plot summary
MOVE begins as a back-to-nature movement that practices green methods. In 1985, Philadelphia's police department moves to force the group out of its row house at 6221 Osage Avenue. The confrontation escalates when gunfire breaks out and tear gas fails to bring the members outside. The documentary tells the story through archival footage and avoids talking-head interviews, narration, B-roll, and reenactments.
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Let the Fire Burn (2013)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
SPOILER
Eleven people died in the fire, among them MOVE founder John Africa, five other adults and five children aged 7 to 13, and more than 250 neighbors were left homeless.- Ramona Africa, one of the two survivors, said police fired at people trying to escape. The commission that investigated found city leaders and law enforcement had acted negligently, but no criminal charges were filed.
- The film uses no talking-head interviews, narration, B-roll footage or reenactments, an approach described as "historical verite" that rebuilds the events of May 13, 1985.
