Winnie Wright, Age 11 from Kartemquin Studio

WINNIE WRIGHT, AGE 11
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Winnie Wright, Age 11 is a documentary film that was directed by Gordon Quinn in 1974 featuring Winnie, a daughter of a steelworker growing up in a Chicago neighbourhood that undergoes significant demographic changes from white to black. Making other friends was an essential thing for Winnie. She no longer needed only her white friends because her neighbourhood was changing and she could have black friends. It is apparent from the documentary that Winnie's family struggles with racism, poor economic challenges, and a looming strike. Growing up white was a daunting task for Winnie. The film explores social change that was experienced in the 1970s and humanizes the people living in the neighbourhood.[Winnie Wright, Age 11, directed by Gordon Quinn (The Kartemquin Collection, 1974), DVD.] [Kevin Gosztola. “Kartemquin Films 50: ‘Winnie Wright, Age 11.” (Shadow Proof, (March 02 2016).]
From the film, Winnie's mother appreciates the fact that her daughter can adapt to the new lifestyle. Going to school with the other races was not regarded as usual amid racism that clouded the U.S during the period. Winnie seems to be doing more than expected of her as a white child. Also, it is essential to analyze Winnie's father and what he does for a living. From the film, he is a steelworker whose role at work is to be consolidated to enable him to accomplish more tasks than before. As it is evident from the documentary, the steelworker faces the challenge of meeting the demands of the new job requirements. It, therefore, forces the management to assign the job to a young, energetic war. Another turn of events in the documentary is when Winnie's father is invited to the "whites only" party but refuses to attend because he does not agree with the idea of dividing workers along race line. He does not support racism as could be expected of him despite being a white man. Winnie's father is a rational man who approves of coexistence amongst different races.[Winnie Wright, Age 11.] [Winnie Wright, Age 11]
The film depicts the struggles of the white working class family in Chicago in the mid-1970s and further gives an account of the changes that Chicago's neighbourhood on the south and southwest have undergone. Winnie Wright, Age 11 is undoubtedly one of the best social documentaries that show life as it is or was living. It focuses on the subject of the gentrification and the white working class family issues more than its craft as it would have been expected. The film exposes the hidden truth in the mid-1970s, and the director has ignored the art and the aesthetics that are required of a movie. After watching the documentary, the audience is likely to get political intentions instead of critiquing the crafting of the movie. Also, the film is only 26 minutes long but manages to follow the life and times of Winnie's family and communicate effectively to the audience. Even though the documentary may be perceived as less intellectual it still effectively passes its intended message. Great documentaries sometimes involve extended interviews that may lead to repetitions in subtle ways but Winnie Wright, Age 11 has cutaways which may also be said to throw off the audience's focus. It does not have adequate entertainment as expected and humour. There is a section of people who may not be pleased to seriously watch their daily reality in a documentary without aspects of fun as is the case of the film under review. It is. Therefore, a daunting task preparing a documentary such as Winnie Wright, Age 11 with the seriousness it contains with a few fun elements.[Winnie Wright, Age 11.] [Gosztola.] [Brooks A. Ranallo. “Gentrification index portrays Chicago neighbourhoods, 1970-2010.” (UIC Today, 15 December 2014).] [Barbara Zheutlin. "The Art and Politics of the Documentary: A Symposium." (Cinéaste 11, no. 3,1981): 12.] [Zheutlin,12.] [Winnie Wright, Age 11]
Kartemquin and Gordon Quinn have been successful in doing an excellent job for the nation by going beyond just creating films. They have been able to touch hearts and change minds through art revealing the secret of a documentary in acting as a humanizing force to reckon with. The role of cinema in creating social change is quite evident in the documentary. By watching the film, it easier to see the more significant social problem that existed when the film was produced or directed. The social challenge that existed in the movie is coined in the theme of race and gentrification which are also evident today in society. Even though the documentary no longer depicts the neighbourhood in which it was set, it brought out the theme in a more transparent manner but with a low budget. Despite everyone associating Chicago neighbourhoods as a black neighbourhood, the movie managed to convince the viewers that there were white working class children that also grew in the community especially the one that had black friends and was progressive. Winnie Wright, Age 11 explained the theme of race and gentrification through the eyes of children instead of focusing on the grow ups thus appreciating the peaceful coexistence of children even in learning institutions.[by Dan Schindel. “Telling an Honest Story: Kartemquin Films at 50.” (Movie Mezzanine, 31 May 2016).] [Gosztola.] [Winnie Wright, Age 11]
In asking the question of, "Why this film at this particular time?" several answers can be given to the question. First, in the 1960s there was intense activism across the U.S. The mid-1970s documentary also concentrated on the idea of activism meaning that Gordon Quinn probably wanted to extend the agenda of racism in the neighbourhood. The director used the movie as a political tool in the 1970s to let the audience know what exactly was happening in the U.S. Perhaps it intended to remind the Chicago residents that their neighbourhoods were not only made of black as it was perceived. There was a white working class that also lived in the neighbourhood. Winnie Wright, Age 11 captured the reality on the ground. It made the racially thinking audiences to reconsider their association with the content or the message of the documentary. By following the people's lives as that of Winnie's family, the audience is capable of reflecting and relating to what happens to the people they watch in the movie. The unfavourable ideas of racism that clouded most people's minds could be replaced by an appreciation of the peaceful coexistence that is evident in the movie and gentrification. The movie can be said to have come at the right time when the society needed a change particularly in the area of race.[Schindel.] [Steve Bogira. “A dream unrealized for African-Americans in Chicago.” (Chicago Reader, 21 August 2013).]
Winnie Wright, Age 11 was made around social justice to promote peace and justice in society. The film was more like a social movement that pushed for an agenda of fairness. The 1970s was a continuation of the activism in 1960s, and there was a significant demographic change. There was an economic challenge, and that forced people to move from one place to the other. Some individuals lost their jobs because employers ...