Hanging On
2021 · 10m · UK
Directed by Alfie Barker
Genres: documentary
Tones: melancholic, mythic, provocative, tender, whimsical
A documentary following residents of a former coal-mining housing estate in Leeds as they campaign to prevent demolition of their homes after the estate was sold to private developers, exploring what home and community mean to those facing displacement.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Residents of a Leeds estate suspended on hidden wires while they tell you their homes are being demolished — that's a magic-realist documentary swing I genuinely didn't expect. Sold.
Suspending displaced residents on crane-wires and erasing them in post — Barker locates the documentary inside the magical-realist register Andrea Arnold approaches and Lucrecia Martel inhabits. A formal gesture that earns its title.
Residents physically suspended mid-air on crane wires later painted out in post, literalizing the title — that's a real VFX commitment for a social documentary and the only reason it would work is if the magical realism earns the campaign's stakes. 43.8K views suggests it does.
Reviews
It's hard to see Hanging On making the same kind of impact without its incredible visual approach.
A film that speaks to issues of gentrification and eviction, and ultimately about the strength of community... stood out for its creative approach to form and playfulness with film language.
Festivals
- Sheffield Doc Fest 2021
- Toronto International Film Festival 2021
- BFI London Film Festival 2021
- Encounters Film Festival 2021, Best British Short Film, UK Audience Award
- Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2021, Best of Fest, Best Documentary