X
  • 2019
  • MTV Documentary Films
  • 1 h 36 m
  • 2019
  • MTV Documentary Films
  • 1 h 36 m

Summary Footage from two decades of intimate home video is used to tell the story of the Sanford family, who live just 17 blocks from the U.S. Capitol and whose struggles with addiction and gun violence lead them through a journey of love, loss, and acceptance.

Directed By: Davy Rothbart

Written By: Mark Monroe, Jennifer Tiexiera, Davy Rothbart

  • 2019
  • MTV Documentary Films
  • 1 h 36 m
  • 2019
  • MTV Documentary Films
  • 1 h 36 m

17 Blocks

Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 8 Critic Reviews
81
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary Footage from two decades of intimate home video is used to tell the story of the Sanford family, who live just 17 blocks from the U.S. Capitol and whose struggles with addiction and gun violence lead them through a journey of love, loss, and acceptance.

Directed By: Davy Rothbart

Written By: Mark Monroe, Jennifer Tiexiera, Davy Rothbart

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 8 Critic Reviews
81
88% Positive
7 Reviews
13% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 8 Critic Reviews
81
88% Positive
7 Reviews
13% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Feb 16, 2021
It’s rare that a documentary has the ability to take the kind of long view of events that establishes context and consequence.
By Michael O'Sullivan FULL REVIEW
91
May 4, 2019
And while it’s a difficult sit sometimes, “17 Blocks” is essential viewing for anyone interested in how the confluence of race and class have codified into a sort of informal caste for an entire subsection of America’s citizenry.
By Warren Cantrell FULL REVIEW
88
Feb 19, 2021
An engrossing and frequently extraordinary feature.
By Matt Zoller Seitz FULL REVIEW
78
Feb 26, 2021
Even when the direction is heavy-handed, the Sanfords are just too compelling to ignore.
By Selome Hailu FULL REVIEW
70
Feb 18, 2021
It’s valuable when any vérité documentary with such a vantage point is able to show us how many societal ills — from addiction to gun violence to poverty to gentrification to incarceration — can touch one family, keeping them in a near-constantly reeling state.
By Robert Abele FULL REVIEW
70
May 4, 2019
17 Blocks ... is packed with gritty realism, and at times its uncensored honesty almost makes you want to look away.
By Stephen Whitty FULL REVIEW
55
May 4, 2019
The film is as intimate as it can be, but at times, feels like an invasion of privacy.
FULL REVIEW

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Details

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Production Company 21 Balloons Productions, Beachside Films, Bunny Lake Films
Release Date Nov 1, 2019
Duration 1 h 36 m
Genres
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Awards

Woodstock Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Champs-Élysées Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Melbourne Documentary Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations

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