The Stroll

Saw this at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

"The Stroll" is a documentary about the history of New York's Meatpacking District transgender, sex workers lived and worked there. Filmmaker Kristen Lovell reunites the community to recount the violence, homelessness and gentrification they overcame to build a movement for transgender rights. Lovell provides a great unique look on the lives of Black Trans sexworkers and the impact it has.

Throughout, the camerawork and presentation is good and some of the animated visual storytelling helps to provide information and background of each moment. The participants explored and interviewed offer some great insights about their struggles and issues they experienced. Some of the interviews were funny and a little sad to listen especially after understanding what types of troubles they had to experience.

The direction provided by Lovell and Zachary Drucker builds up drama and also non-serious tones as there are some good humor used throughout. The soundtrack was fitting and the film never struggled with any poor pacing. It's interesting to learn about this side of New York as I don't hear these kinds of stories oftenly which does help to provide some new insights.

Having won the U. S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Clarity of Vision, I believe the film deserves the winning. Overall, a great documentary.

Rating: A-

The Stroll is a part of the Meatpacking District in Manhattan where not so long ago (mostly black) trans women lived and survived as prosritutes (some of them were kicked out of their homes and none could find a decent job because of who they where). This documentary is about those women, those fighters who are still trying to maintain their dignity in a world dominated by the white cis straight man. It's a great testament of their work, their everyday battles and their legacy. And about the many many women who died trying to survive in the streets. It's also about a forgotten New York, erased by gentrification and whitewashing.