Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland

Interesting documentary but after watching this all I could think was that the family just couldn't accept the fact that their daughter committed suicide. Suicide has such a negative stigma that family members just don't want to accept as reality. Even after an independent autopsy they still refused to accept reality and needed someone to sue to be compensated.

The traffic stop escalated very quickly and never should have never ended that way. But to accuse the police and jail employees of a huge conspiracy to kill Sandra because she was a huge successful "activist" is just absurd. To think she was Epsteined before Epstein is irrational, illogical and plain comical.

If it wasn't for the ludicrous conspiracy theory this documentary would have been far better.

Not since "The Thin Blue Line" by Errol Morris have I seen a documentary as insightful and devastating as "Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland." Interviews of family, friends, and law enforcement present a Rashomon range of opinions. Video from the arresting officer's body cam and dash cam document his meltdown in the face of a strong, calm woman.

Though we know the conclusion of this tragedy, it doesn't detract interest from the family's search to disclose the probable cause of Ms. Bland's death. Recollections of her bright personality and community engagement make us feel her absence more keenly.

Directors Kate Davis and David Hellbroner masterfully present details in a clear, logical manner. Conflicting information is laid out for the viewer to consider, though the injustice is obvious. The documentary displays another simple traffic stop resulting in the death of an unarmed Black person in police custody, told unflinchingly.

I'd like to send my condolences to the family and friends of Sandra Bland. I pray the so called officer has been removed from his job and is locked up for the battery. And I pray that someone is being held responsible for Ms. Bland's life.

I am moved by this body of work on Sandra Bland. Her life was not in vain, although I wish she were still here to use that brilliance. I discovered things I did not know. The documentary does present both sides-- no matter where you land on this verdict, the director strived to give the Sheriff & DA a chance to be heard. I, on the other hand, am thoroughly convinced that her death was not of her own volition. The evidence and the video was overwhelming and brought me to tears. My deepest sympathies to her family and thanks to all who participated in the movie. It is worth your time.

"Say Her Name - The Life and Death of Sandra Bland" (2018 release; 103 min.) is a documentary about the July, 2015 arrest and subsequent in-custody death in Waller Country, TX (near Houston) of Sandra "Sandy" Bland, a 28 yr. old African-American woman, for failing to signal a lane change (!). As the documentary opens, we are addressed by Sandy in one of her "Sandy Speaks" posted videos: "It's hard to be black", she exasperates. It's one of many videos she posts addressed to her fellow "queens and kings" dealing with racial issues including police brutality. We then go to the arrest and its aftermath. The police car's dashboard camera footage is as surreal as it is sickening. What should've been a routine matter (if one can call getting pulled over for "failing to signal a lane change" routine), quickly spirals out of control, to the point where Sandy is arrested and taken to jail, where 3 days later she is found dead, and it is ruled a suicide. But was it? At this point we are 10 min. into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from the Oscar-nominated (and husband and wife) team of Kate Davis and David Heilbroner. Here they look back at the suspect circumstances of Sandy Bland's arrest and subsequent death while in the Waller County Jail. Sandy Bland was anything but "bland": she was outspoken about racism and police brutality, and it all makes it even more remarkable to see what happened to her. It is perhaps difficult to distinguish between the events covered by the documentary, and the documentary itself: can the documentary deliver on all of the questions that it poses? The answer to that for me is, yes, mostly... It is clear that, had the arresting officer been given proper de-escalating training, none of this would have happened. Instead, we see a white armed male escalating tensions against a black unarmed woman, and then lying about what happened to justify the arrest, with a "good ol' boys" network in Waller County, TX quickly circling the wagons. The makers of this documentary do a fine job digging into the details, and allowing both sides to give their perspective. But honestly, the images speak for themselves. "Sandy should be here", sighs her mother, and she is absolutely right of course.

"Say Her Name - The Life and Death of Sandra Bland" is the latest to be released in HBO's documentary series. I continue to be impressed with the excellence of many of those HBO documentaries. If you have any interest in the racial divide that exists in this country, I'd readily suggest you check this out (it's now available at HBO on Demand, among other platforms), and draw your own conclusion.