In Theaters: January 20, 2000 (limited)
September 27, 2000 (limited)
Documentary, Drama
An adaptation of the play by Anna Deveare Smith that focuses on the Los Angeles riots during the spring of 1992. Triggered by the verdict in the Rodney King case.
Anna transforms herself into scores of individuals--using their words and duplicating their speech patterns, mannerisms, dress and attitudes--in a mosaic set in the violent aftermath of the verdict.
Whether she is personifying police chief Daryl Gates, or a distraught Korean grocer whose store was looted, a fancy schmancy Hollywood real estate agent who sat it out at the Beverly Hills Hotel, or actor/NRA spokesman Charlton Heston extolling the virtues of his favorite weapon, her performance sheds light upon understanding the human condition.