Watch The Central Park Five

The Central Park Five is a 2012 documentary film directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon. The film explores the story of five teenage boys, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Kharey Wise, Raymond Santana, and Yusef Salaam, who were falsely accused and convicted of raping a woman in New York's Central Park in 1989. The film begins by setting the scene of New York City in 1989, a place of extreme income inequality and racial tension. The Central Park Jogger case, as it was known, was one of the most high-profile criminal cases of the era. On April 19, 1989, a woman was raped and brutally beaten while running in Central Park. The film shows how the media and police quickly blamed a group of Black and Latino teenagers who were in the park that night. The five boys, who were between the ages of 14 and 16, were arrested and coerced into confessing to the crime.

The filmmakers use archival footage, interviews with the men and their families, and reenactments to tell the story of the wrongful conviction and its aftermath. The film highlights the flawed justice system that allowed the convictions to take place, with a particular focus on the racism and bias that led to the boys being scapegoated.

The boys are depicted as normal teenagers, with dreams of playing sports, going to college, and starting families. The film shows how the false accusations and subsequent trial destroyed their lives, with three of the boys serving time in juvenile detention and two serving time in adult prisons. The film depicts the physical and emotional toll that the wrongful conviction took on the men and their families, including their struggles to find employment and reintegrate into society after their release.

The Central Park Five also sheds light on the larger societal issues of police brutality, racism, and mass incarceration. The film shows how the boys were victims of a corrupt and biased criminal justice system, and how their story is just one of many examples of systemic injustice.

Throughout the film, the directors give the five men ample opportunity to tell their own story and share their own perspectives. The men's interviews are moving and impactful, as they reveal the trauma of the experience and the injustice of their convictions. The film also features interviews with journalists, lawyers, and experts who were involved in the case, providing additional context and insight.

The Central Park Five is a powerful and important film that raises important questions about race, justice, and power. The film is not only a gripping and emotional story, but also a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The directors use their storytelling skills to create a narrative that is both heartbreaking and inspiring, shedding light on a dark moment in American history while also offering hope for a more just future.

Overall, The Central Park Five is an essential documentary that should be required viewing for anyone interested in social justice, criminal justice, and the Black Lives Matter movement. It is a powerful reminder of the importance of speaking truth to power, and the resilience of those who have been wronged by the justice system.

The Central Park Five is a 2012 documentary with a runtime of 2 hours. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.7 and a MetaScore of 79.