It's not often I'm on the edge of my seat during a documentary, but The Letter had me there the whole time. It's a compelling story to start with - Somalian refugees move to a small town in Maine to build a better life for their kids and emotions run high as an economically depressed, mostly white town grapples with the issues this new influx of residents presents. Are the Somalians helping or hurting the community? Racism and rumor abound, but support for the new residents is also present. It all comes to a head when the mayor writes an open letter to the Somali community, asking them to encourage other Somalis not to come - the town is maxed out on resources. The media gets hold of the letter as well as a white supremacist group who views it as an open invitation to come to town and preach their message. From here, all chaos breaks loose.
But the story is not all that's great about this movie. The access the film-makers were able to get to the white supremacist group was phenomenal - interviews with their leaders and inside the hall during their rally. The individuals I saw The Letter with all agreed that one of the more creepier moments was when the leader's very normal-looking girlfriend gave him a kiss and said, "I love you." Somehow it's more comfortable to picture these individuals as rejected losers living in their parent's basements with no social lives at all. But they are real people, with lives - and kids. Many would hold out pictures of their kids and explain they are standing up for the the white race for the sake of their kids' future.
The editing was very effective as well. The quick cuts between the "hate" rally and the organized counter-rally were very effective in contrasting the views of the groups, particularly in the final speeches at the end. The segments worked so well together - it was hard to believe they weren't scripted (although they obviously weren't).
I wasn't sure how I felt at the end of this movie. In some ways it was so encouraging how most of the community stepped up to support the Somalis. But listening to the white supremacists, it truly dawned on me that we will never be able to eliminate this element of hatred and intolerance in our communities - at best, we can only keep it marginalized and at bay.