O Massacre de Charleston - Histórias de um Crime

This is one of the best documentaries that I have seen in years. An unspeakable tragedy tranformed into a story about love, hope, and forgiveness.

This is one of the most important documentaries I've ever seen. To be honest, there are moments that are difficult to watch as it demands that you engage with the story - the brokenness of humanity and what it means to look it in the face. It's not a film you watch and forget about. It powerfully tells of one of the most wicked hate crimes in recent American history - the murder of nine African Americans by a white supremacist during a Bible study. While it dives into the historical and systematic issues at play, the film doesn't dwell on the details of the evil of that night too much. As it begins driving home it's purpose, you hear story after story directly from the victims' families about the forgiveness that this evil was met with in the midst of their grief. It's a powerful display of a costly and difficult forgiveness and the ways that it can drive out fear and produce hope. It's stories like these that remind us that evil doesn't have to have the final say.

A must watch!!

I was deeply moved by the powerful real-life story of people choosing forgiveness over hate. In a world that seems more divided than ever before, it was so beautiful to see how the people of Charleston came together after a horrific shooting. After seeing this film you can walk away with a feeling of hope as it offers a path forward. You won't regret a single minute you spend watching this documentary.

Emmanuel manages to tell a riveting, heartbreaking story, while successfully refraining from glorifying a killer. It is unfortunate how forgettable these tragedies can become, as society has to acclimate and recover from what seems like a new headline every month. Still, Ivie accomplished the impossible task of making the story about the victims only. Is the evil subject mentioned? Sure. But this documentary is not his documentary. This film gives the families of the fallen a chance to speak and let those distant from the tragedy have an idea of what they went through, and how large this problem truly was, and still is.

Even with a message to share, this piece is able to deliver it without preaching to the audience. Nothing feels heavy handed or over-explained. Ivie lays out the facts, then lets the viewer decide on their own what weight this issue carries. Although I left the theater with tears in my eyes, I also left with a feeling of empowerment and forgiveness -- something that was a focus of the film makers.

Loved every aspect of this film. It really shows how forgiveness can change a person and I love the stories from loved ones about the night really touched me.