Remember the Republican National Convention? The Republican National Convention that was held in Milwaukee July 15-18? Who could forget! The weirdly empty downtown streets! The weirdly empty Milwaukee River! The weirdly empty downtown businesses! The promised $200-$250 million economic impact that, um, er, is actually the long-term economic impact, duh. It was great!
Anyway, with the Democratic National Convention kicking off in Chicago this week, it’s a great time to relive the magic of the Milwaukee RNC. Enter The Zone, a 45-minute, lo-fi, cinéma vérité-style documentary from Milwaukee filmmaker/musician Neil Wren—a.k.a. Bang Local Dads. The film was shot on the Tuesday and Thursday of the RNC, in and around the convention’s security zone.
Like Wren’s previous docs—Milwaukee: A Definitive Guide, Bucks In Six, Lake Park Golf Course—The Zone is a droll and poker-faced piece that captures the more mundane and random aspects of its subject. Unlike his previous docs, The Zone comes complete with a link to a GoFundMe for Samuel Sharpe Jr., the man who was killed by out-of-state police officers during the RNC.
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