Everybody to Kenmure Street, 2026.
Directed by Felipe Bustos Sierra
Starring Emma Thompson and Kate Dickie.
SYNOPSIS:
Neighbours and activists rush to surround an immigration van detaining two residents in Scotland’s most diverse community.
Centered on a communitywide Glasgow protest over the attempted deportation of two immigrants on a religious holiday (it would be upsetting no matter the day, but this specific targeting only adds to the sinister, racist motive) several hours that amassed over 2,000 brave souls, director Felipe Bustos Sierra’s Everybody to Kenmure Street is a stirring look at what resistance looks like and what can be achieved through unity. Taking place in 2021 and, perhaps more importantly, not in America, the documentary, probably unintentionally so, provides a broader, more alarming context for how horrific similar scenes are here.
The protest is kicked into motion when a man (who chose to remain anonymous but is sensitively played here by Emma Thompson in brief recreations) slips underneath a border patrol van, clinging to the axle, ensuring that the detainees cannot drive off. Naturally, this is dangerous; much of the documentary also follows up on what this man endured throughout his time under the van, whether it be somewhat dripping onto his body and nearly passing out. In Glasgow, this is an inspirational success story. If that happened here in America, one couldn’t help but shudder imagining a certain group of agents heartlessly driving off without fear of who they injure or kill.
Without getting too stuck on that horrifying parallel, it bears mentioning again that this is an uplifting story featuring interviews with those in the surrounding area, whether they be in apartments across the street or passing through in the morning, only to stop and build up the numbers. Unsurprisingly, the border patrol agents are backed up by several police officers, creating a nonviolent standoff. And while they certainly deploy some ugly tactics to try to get the protesters to back off, what’s especially noteworthy is that there isn’t a moment when they appear ready to become violent. Even if it’s simply a banner hung outside one of those apartments calling for border patrol to go away, the impact from every individual is felt cumulatively.
In the middle stretch, Felipe Bustos Sierra takes a pacing gamble, interrupting the flow with a lengthy lecture on the history of Glasgow and its ties to the Atlantic slave trade. It is an informative and vital piece to this bigger picture, but one still wishes it didn’t break up the momentum of the archival footage and interviews regarding the protest. Nevertheless, Everybody to Kenmure Street is a remarkably important documentary, potentially capable of reassuring people around the world, including America, that no matter how bleak and dire the situation may be, it will never be enough to overpower community and unity. At the end of the day, no matter what happens, that is what will inevitably go down in the history books.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
