– Director: Davy Rothbart

– Metascore: 81

– IMDb user rating: 7.2

– Runtime: 96 minutes

The story of the Sanford family and their struggles with addiction and gun violence unfolds through two decades of home videos. The film’s title “17 Blocks” is a reference to the distance between the Sanford family home, in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Washington D.C., and the United States Capitol. While the story is hard to watch, it provides an accurate depiction of family life that more privileged viewers may not otherwise see, and highlights the reality of suffering the United States inflicts on its poor.