Emma Thompson is under a Van! - Everybody to Kenmure Street (Review)
The magical power of a community fighting against our broken immigration system.
Amidst discussions of ICE, a common refrain here in the UK has been some mix of abject horror and an anticipatory wince at the potential kidnappings to come under a Reform government.
No doubt, our immigration system could be far, far worse — but many of the components of “carceral” approaches to migration are actually already implemented in our system as it is — the immigration detention centers, the lack of adequate pathway to remain, and, of course, the kidnapping and seperating of people from their homes, their families and their communities.
“Everybody to Kenmure Street” is a crystal clear, if partially constructed, documentation of a time when civil action won the day. Locals quickly mobilised to ensure two of their community members weren’t disappeared by the Government on the morning of Eid, May 2021.
The documentary doesn’t just talk about how and why “Van Man” got under the Home Office van; it shows the decades of local organising that led to that moment, and the infrastructure that led to everyone’s release.
The documentary is a stark reminder of how seriously we must take the work of building connections with one another to protect our neighbours as we would protect ourselves - and how every one of us can play a part in that work, however small, as long as the common goal is safety.
And yes, Van Man is played by Emma Thompson, as the real-life man's identity is still being protected in the piece. This is a clear investment of her star power toward a documentary that would have otherwise got lost in the noise. She is in rare form here - playing the character “at the centre of it all”, with a fresh, unpretentious, deliberate approach.
Documentaries like this should no doubt be broadcast into every British home during prime time, but so often are not. I’m hoping our small contribution to its signal helps it get a boost.
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