On Corner Stores, Amina Waheed's remarkable documentary about simple acts of humanity
I don't usually attend Chicago Palestine Film Festival. To make a long story short, back in college, I've had my fill what passes for discourse on Israel-Palestinian conflict in this country, and I've found it easier to save myself the aggravation and avoid the festival entirely.
But a recent Chicago Reader review made me want to break that longstanding policy.
The Corner Stores, a short documentary by Amina Waheed, takes on a seemingly simple subject - the day-to-day life of Falah Farhoudeh, owner of a corner store store in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood. I've written before about how Chicago's South Side isn't all blight, poverty and crime, and many neighborhoods are actually nice, or at least decent... But Englewood, unfortunately, embodies a lot of South Side stereotypes. Once home to one of the biggest shopping districts in Chicago, it has been struggling with poverty, crime and disinvestment for decades. There aren't a lot of stores, period - let alone food stores.
Farhoudeh owning a store in Englewood was already a big deal. But the review makes it clear that this is about more than money,
It's quickly established that Farhoudeh is no mere business owner but a crucial part of the community, providing an ex-convict with a job, giving food to customers even when they can't pay, and offering good counsel to anyone who wants it. In one surprising moment, Waheed shows the black proprietors of a nearby barbershop sharing Arabic terms they've learned from Farhoudeh-an unexpected and very moving display of solidarity.
Englewood and neighborhoods like it are stuck in a vicious cycle. Because of their problems, businesses and organizations avoid it. And because they avoid it, nothing changes. In order to break the cycle, people need to take risks, go against the conventional wisdom....
Farhoudeh alone can't change Englewood, or make all its problems go away. But he can help. He can have real impact on people most of the city is content to write off. And that, in itself, is pretty laudable.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to catch the screening. But even if I don't, I'll keep an eye out for it.
In Chicago, at least, good documentaries don't usually vanish into obscurity.
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The Corner Stores is playing at Chicago's Gene Siskel Center on April 20 at 5:00 PM and April 24 at 8:15 PM.
But a recent Chicago Reader review made me want to break that longstanding policy.
The Corner Stores, a short documentary by Amina Waheed, takes on a seemingly simple subject - the day-to-day life of Falah Farhoudeh, owner of a corner store store in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood. I've written before about how Chicago's South Side isn't all blight, poverty and crime, and many neighborhoods are actually nice, or at least decent... But Englewood, unfortunately, embodies a lot of South Side stereotypes. Once home to one of the biggest shopping districts in Chicago, it has been struggling with poverty, crime and disinvestment for decades. There aren't a lot of stores, period - let alone food stores.
Farhoudeh owning a store in Englewood was already a big deal. But the review makes it clear that this is about more than money,
It's quickly established that Farhoudeh is no mere business owner but a crucial part of the community, providing an ex-convict with a job, giving food to customers even when they can't pay, and offering good counsel to anyone who wants it. In one surprising moment, Waheed shows the black proprietors of a nearby barbershop sharing Arabic terms they've learned from Farhoudeh-an unexpected and very moving display of solidarity.
Englewood and neighborhoods like it are stuck in a vicious cycle. Because of their problems, businesses and organizations avoid it. And because they avoid it, nothing changes. In order to break the cycle, people need to take risks, go against the conventional wisdom....
Farhoudeh alone can't change Englewood, or make all its problems go away. But he can help. He can have real impact on people most of the city is content to write off. And that, in itself, is pretty laudable.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to catch the screening. But even if I don't, I'll keep an eye out for it.
In Chicago, at least, good documentaries don't usually vanish into obscurity.
----
The Corner Stores is playing at Chicago's Gene Siskel Center on April 20 at 5:00 PM and April 24 at 8:15 PM.