BLACKOUT takes you inside the personal journey of what went down and what it was really like in Brooklyn, NY on August 14. It examines the nature of man to take advantage of his own fellow man outside of normal conditions, in times of weakness and vulnerability
Acting
Jeffrey Wright carries the weight of a neighborhood on his shoulders
Direction
LaMothe squeezes tension from every flickering candle and shadow
Writing
Dialogue that cuts because it feels overheard, not performed
Director
Jerry LaMothe
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 2003 Northeast blackout affected 55 million people and cost $6 billion, yet barely exists in pop culture memory — this film is essentially the only dramatic document.
Melvin Van Peebles agreed to play George as a favor to LaMothe, making this a rare late-career appearance by the Sweet Sweetback icon in indie Black cinema.
US
