By Francis Agnoli

Leith, North Dakota is a small town, 24 people strong. They are initially happy with the prospect of new residents but then discover that their new neighbor is notorious white supremacist Craig Cobb. There were many ways that filmmakers Michael Beach Nichols and Christopher K. Walker could have documented this story. They could have dived into the legal minutiae of how Cobb and his people plan to take over the town democratically. They could have positioned this incident as a culmination of a history of the white supremacist movement in the United States. Instead, the filmmakers construct this documentary in a way that is far braver and more dangerous.

The narrative structure is one that most viewers should recognize. Outsiders move into a close-knit community that quickly becomes hostile to them because of their differences. They are harassed. Their property vandalized. They are told to go home and that they are not wanted here. Such a plot is designed to both stir up righteous anger and to reaffirm one's own capacity for tolerance. But not here. Leith prides itself on being open and inviting - few of the featured residents are native - but they quickly close ranks and try to drive the newcomers out of town. Similarly, the audience is challenged. Who wouldn't side with the people defending their home? 

Film has the tremendous power to generate empathy. The best allow audiences to experience perspectives that they had never before considered. For the most part, this ability has been praised. But, then a film like this one comes along, and asks audience to empathize with some of the most ostracized members of the human race. In modern liberal America, white supremacists rank with pedophiles The result makes for an uncomfortable but revealing viewing experience. The seemingly conventional structure and technique of this documentary are instead the tools for some truly radical filmmaking. Are you able and willing to empathize with a white supremacist? To understand their thoughts and feelings? To recognize them as fellow human beings? Welcome to Leith.

WELCOME TO LEITH screens at FilmScene this Tuesday (2/2) at 6pm as part of the Bijou Film Forum series. Co-director Christopher K. Walker and subject Ryan Lenz of the Southern Poverty Law Center will be available for a post-screening Q&A.