Raoul Peck’s ‘Silver Dollar Road’ chronicles a Black family’s battle to hold onto their land

By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer

TORONTO (AP) — Raoul Peck’s “Silver Dollar Road” chronicles the story of the Reels family in North Carolina. For generations, the Reels have owned and lived on 65 waterfront acres, land that’s been in the family since the days of Reconstruction. What follows is a story of repossession that reverberates with a much larger history of Black landownership and exploitation. Between 1910 and 1997, Black Americans are estimated to have lost 90% of their farmland. In an interview, Peck says his film, personal and passionate, is the kind that’s growing obsolete as documentaries on streaming platforms turn increasingly formulaic.