A Binding Truth is a story about two people who share the same last name – one black, one white – both from Charlotte, North Carolina in Mecklenburg County. When Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick and Hugh “De” Kirkpatrick encountered each other as high school classmates in 1965, neither thought much of anything about their shared name, little did they know that they shared an unexpected connection that would change their lives forever.

The film began as a sports story centered on Jimmie Lee, who transferred to an affluent high school during his senior year as their first Black football star. But soon the story transitions into something more profound, albeit a dark and heart-wrenching one. Right before that big reveal in the film, I had an inkling as to why they shared the same last name and it made me gasp. I can’t even imagine what it must’ve been like for De, who discovers that his ancestors were slave owners and indeed, Jimmie’s own great-great-grandfather was one of their properties. “How could anyone justify owning another human being?” – that’s one of the questions De grapples with as both he and Jimmie Lee have to reconcile with such devastating realities that many Americans aren’t prepared to face.

The film shows how both men deal with their dark past in their own way and at their own pace. Jimmie Lee is much more expressive, he wears his heart on his sleeve as it were, while De is more stoic though it’s palpable how heavily the revelation weighs on him. Both men took the time to revisit some of the places where their ancestors lived and were buried, all the while deepening their bond of friendship in the process. I really think it’s a testament to each of their characters as people that they aren’t resentful of one another. The opposite is true, and It’s quite heart-warming and inspiring how Jimmie Lee and De found friendship, even brotherhood, despite the dark legacy of slavery they shared.

As a former forensic psychologist, De ends up writing a book that’s been described as ‘a psychological autopsy of the minds and behaviors of enslavers.’ Their story ends up inspiring fellow Americans to also come to terms with their own past that involved slavery. One of the most moving scenes is when Jimmie Lee and De visit a cemetery together, and while De’s ancestors have proper headstones, the former slaves’ graveyard is an untended wooded area. De looks on with heartache over the wooded area – while he himself can’t be blamed for what his great-great-grandfathers did, the fact that he acknowledges the sins of his ancestors and endeavors not to repeat his family’s past grievances is certainly a place to start.

Filmmaker Louise Woehrle crafted a compelling documentary that does this incredible story justice. I shouldn’t be surprised as I loved her documentary based on her uncle’s WWII heroic story, Stalag Luft III – One Man’s Story which was released in 2019. This film is beautifully shot by Charlotte-based DP Scott Gardner, with outstanding editing by Donna Marino that makes the story flow nicely. I love how the film incorporates creative Augmented Reality technology to immerse viewers in the story as the visuals blend the past and the present. For example, when Jimmie Lee takes his son to the US Bank stadium, the screen transitions to show where a hospital once stood decades ago. It also adds some poetic nuances when we see Jimmie Lee stroll through a road that his ancestors once tread on hundreds of years ago.

There is a Minnesota and even family connection to this film too, as Woehrle works with MN-based post-production companies, such as Channel Z (Graphics and online editing), Splice Here (VFX and Graphics), Undertone Music (Music Editing, Sound design), color grading by Dave Sweet. Her son Luke Enyeart composed the music along with Tom Hambleton.

I come away feeling inspired by both men and the bond that they share. If only more people were as compassionate and understanding as these two, I think our racial relations would look a whole lot different today. I highly recommend anyone, regardless of their racial/ethnic background, to see this film. It’s deeply insightful and profound, with plenty of important yet applicable life lessons.

A BINDING TRUTH is screening tomorrow at TCFF, October 28, 2023 @ 10:00 AM

Stay tuned for more TCFF reviews in the coming days!

///