Reflective Encounters

“For the most part The Fourth, directed by Johnny D. Kirk, is exactly what it appears to be: a harrowing depiction of police brutality and targeted racism on a group of young men of colour as they enjoy a night out. But there’s something not quite right, almost deliberately scripted in the way things play out, which leads to a shocking and powerful revelation in the film’s final moments. It’s a film which looks at the fetishisation of racism, of white saviourism, and the limits of empathy for those who face regular discrimination and persecution.

The central event of the film is of a group of four young guys getting snacks from a local store before being approached by a police officer. The screen blacks out and we hear a gunshot which leaves one of the men struggling to breathe on the floor. The camera moves from the men sitting with their friend to the police officers, hurriedly covering their backs as they realise the officer had no cause to shoot the man, with the situation growing increasingly violent. It’s a situation that happens every day, one Kirk was inspired to re-create through real-life events, but the ultimate message comes in the closing moments as reality fades into digital artifice.”

— Lillian Crawford