Dear Moviegoers,

When I think about Kevin Ronca’s short documentary Rome: Death to America, I think of the following line from Frank Zappa’s song “Trouble Every Day,” and how it applies to the film:

🎵 As it applies to you and me
Our country isn't free
And the law refuse to see if all that you can ever be
Is just a lousy janitor
Unless your uncle owns a store 🎵

Ronca’s movie is a profile of African-American activist and revolutionary Rome, who is based out of his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. He is no “radicalized” figure, not from mass media anyway. If anything, he’s the inevitability of the mass neglect of his city and the surrounding neighborhoods and the livelihoods of his friends and family. The young man is an unapologetic (rightfully so) Communist, acting with his community to build up their spirits and, ultimately, his militia of direct action.

Action to serve the people with shared resources and assistance, and action to overthrow the government, section by section.

“Trouble Every Day” might be my theme song for what I call my personal progressive ideology, but for Rome, it’s not enough and will never be enough. Inspiration only goes so far; match your talk with some walk, basically. The young man is challenging the liberal paradigm by being a strong-arm believer and not an armchair speaker. He may host a podcast network, but his goals are bigger than that and bigger than him. He’s out for justice and, maybe, blood too.

Death to America tries to build its subject up as a surprise and as a shock, with its opening title introduction that escalates in the description, going from “reformed gangbanger” to “activist” to “and he wants to overthrow the government.” Ronca plays it right but cutely here, perhaps in a way to playfully soften but also enhance the blow of his subject’s mission, to an audience that hopefully would be instantly attracted. The documentary might only play to the choir of supporters that its underground streaming platform Write Brain TV currently has, but I suspect with word of mouth and continued provocative programming, it’ll find a larger crowd to awe.

And with a person like Rome, leaving others in awe won’t be difficult. The film highlights his presence, which is paralyzing and powerful, calm but assertive and straightforward. While I wasn’t all that surprised by his words, it was his attitude that I was truly taken aback by. Maybe he’s fueled by anger as to how he and his neighbors have been treated and untreated by those with authority, but that aggression has only bred an individual more interested in providing free gas for people than pouring gas to start fires.

I’ve seen other movies that try to startle by showing people who have fairly or far-out extreme ideas (Rome’s ideas aren’t hard to understand) and Rome: Death to America is the tamest. This certainly contrasts a bit with what director Kevin Ronca attempts to find, as Rome himself, while intense at times, is pretty friendly overall. Community members chat with Ronca, stating just how helpful and how right Rome has been for them. While some point out just how bad policing and local violence have been, going so far as to flat-out say that there are more guns in their hands than in the hands of area cops - certainly something that feeds Rome’s assertion that he’s ready to throw down against the state - no threats are seen. At least, not from the subjects.

The vast active neglect of their community comes off as the true threat and the true inspiration of activism, Communist advocacy, and of action for the general well-being. Rome: Death to America is a profile piece, but it’s also a document of discontent and grown outrage. It’s not something that we don’t already know, and it’s no warning, but a promise:

🎵 So I'm watchin' and I'm waitin'
Hopin' for the best
Even think I'll go to prayin'
Every time I hear 'em sayin'
That there's no way to delay that trouble comin' every day
No way to delay that trouble comin' every day 🎵

3/5

Rome: Death to America will begin streaming on Write Brain TV to subscribers soon.

Sincerely Yours in Moviegoing,