Closing night of the 2009 SilverDocs Documentary Film Festival showcased the world premiere of “The Nine Lives of Marion Barry”.  The HBO Documentary films production directed by Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer presented a biography of the tumultuous ups and downs in the life and career of the former Mayor of Washington DC and current DC City Councilman.  The irrepressible Barry was in attendance at the screening with entourage in tow.

Growing up in the Washington DC area, I’ve been familiar with the story of the notorious DC Mayor since a very young age.  But the information I didn’t know, or understand, back then was skillfully filled in by the film.  It makes for a nearly tragic life story, sweetened only by the fact that Barry has persevered throughout all these years, despite all the obstacles set before him in life, including those he set himself.The young Marion Barry was an educated, brash African-American man intent on making a difference in his beloved hometown of Washington DC after having followed and marched with the late, great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Back in the 1960’s DC was run like a plantation by the Federal government (specifically Congress), with the majority black population having no vote over the governance of their own community.  But times were quickly changing and Barry was on the forefront of organizing young black men to  be more politically and socially active.

By the 1970’s home rule finally came to the District and Barry was elected to first the City Council then the Mayor’s Office.  Things started out well for the idealistic newcomer with the programs he implemented having a positive impact on DC.  But as the crack epidemic hit the city in the 1980’s, things unraveled fast.  Soon DC had the highest murder rate in the nation and many of its neighborhoods turned to straight up war zones.

Meanwhile Barry and his administration became a corrupt shell of their former selves with rampant graft and two high ranking officials being sent to prison.  But the straw that broke the administration was drawn by Barry himself. In 1991, after years of being hounded by Federal prosecutors about allegations that he used cocaine, Barry was videotaped in a downtown DC hotel room smoking crack with a former girlfriend of his and immediately arrested on the spot by the FBI.

But then a funny thing happened.  Barry was tried, convicted and sent to prison over the incident.  But upon his release he ran for Mayor again…and won!  The victory has always been a low point for race relations in the Washington DC area.  White voters could not believe that majority African-American DC would put a convicted crackhead back in office.  The overwhelming support in the black community for Barry was often attributed to an inherent distrust of white run institutions which for centuries had oppressed blacks and kept them in the lowest levels of society, which is true to an extant.  But the film also illuminated a point I had never encountered before on the incident.  With so many in the black community in DC having been incarcerated and with so many people’s lives having been touched by drugs, Barry’s story of redemption and political rebirth was inspiring to African-American voters.

Overall “The Nine Lives of Marion Barry” was the best film I saw at this year’s SilverDocs festival.  Barry, like many politicians, carries the charisma and star power to make his real life story more captivating than any fall from grace Hollywood flick.  I definitely recommend checking it out.

LINKS:

Decider DC: SILVERDOCS 2009: Saturday, June 20, and Sunday, June 21

DCist: The Nine Lives Of Marion Barry @ SILVERDOCS

Washington Examiner: Barry: Bigger than LeBron