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Picture from archive of 2022 festival.
{WORD Review STRANGER AT THE GATE – Originally Published 2022}
Film Short, United States, 29 Minutes, English, English subtitles
Director: Joshua Seftel
Islamic Center of Muncie. Facebook Picture
In this spellbinder by award-winning Director Joshua Seftel, Richard Mac McKinney, an ex-Marine whose military training and Afghanistan war experiences honed him into a lean, mean, killing machine, can’t shake free of the demons of PTSD and a searing hatred of Muslims after he returns home.
Driven inexorably, McKinney plans to blow up the Islamic Center of Muncie in Muncie, Indiana, hoping to slaughter as many Muslims as he can. The plan is tripped up by fates and circumstances changing the course of events described in this exceptionally made, spellbinding documentary that features telling vignettes of one of the Center’s family members as well as McKinney, his wife, their daughter and a few others.
Richard “Mac” Mckinney.
One of the sublime features adding to this film’s beatific sheen are the interviewees whose vignettes about their lives, experiences as well as interactions with each other are fused into a sweeping cinematic tapestry exploring and revealing about what could have but didn’t take place in Muncie as well as what’s taking place and what could be taking place in the United States – if only …
How many stars for this movie? Director Seftel’s THE STRANGER AT THE GATE has this reviewer imagining that it could make most pessimistic among us pause in wonderment despite whatever our experiences during these dark times of racially charged violence, mass murders, never-ending Pandemic deaths and suffering. I give it 5 stars to the nth degree.
2022 Best Documentary Short – Special Jury Mention, Tribeca Film Festival; 2022 Grand Prize Winner, Documentary, Indy Shorts International Film Festival.
The Director’s Statement: The Who, What, Where When & Why of the Making of THE STRANGER AT THE GATE. [Edited for Style.]
I’ve known Richard “Mac” McKinney’s story for a few years now. He was a U.S. Marine suffering from PTSD and filled with hatred who planned to blow up the mosque in his small Indiana town. We found the story in a small, local newspaper and it focused on Mac’s vantage point. I had always wondered what it would be like to hear this story from the perspective of the congregants of the Islamic Center that McKinney planned to bomb, and to hear from McKinney’s wife and daughter about what it was like to live with a domestic terrorist.
Joshua Seftel. Picture from his online site
In August of 2021, we traveled to Muncie to meet and film the congregants of the Islamic Center and Mac’s family. Over the course of several days, we spent time with the community, ate their home cooked food, and felt their kindness. On camera, they told the story from their vantage point, a group of would-be victims who did the only thing they knew to do, to be kind and open to someone who seemed very troubled.
Growing up Jewish, I faced a fair amount of discrimination. I was called names in school, kids threw pennies at me to remind me that Jews are cheap, and someone even threw a large rock through the front window of our home. So after 9/11, when I started seeing examples of Islamophobia in the U.S., I felt a connection to what Muslims I knew were experiencing. It is for this reason that I decided to try to make films that provide stories that aren’t being told in the U.S. media.
I love telling underdog stories. And to me, every single character in this film is an underdog.
To me, STRANGER AT THE GATE is the story of a collision course between Richard “Mac” McKinney and the congregants of the Muncie Islamic Center. It’s a story so relevant to our world today – a world filled with misunderstanding and seemingly unbridgeable societal gaps – and yet this story shows there is hope. I hope the film serves as a glimpse into what is possible when we stay open and kind.
Q&A
How Did You Decide to Tell This Larger Than Life Story? I was drawn to Richard “Mac” McKinney’s story from the first time I heard it. He was a US Marine suffering from PTSD and filled with hatred who planned to blow up the mosque in his small Indiana town. Before this film, I had even made a bite-sized short film where he succinctly tells the story from his point of view. But I always thought it would be meaningful to hear this story from the perspective of the congregants of the Islamic Center that McKinney planned to bomb, and to hear from McKinney’s wife and daughter.
To me, they are the heroes of this story and there is much to learn from them.
How Does This Film Fit Into Your Body of Work? I love telling underdog stories. And to me, every single character in this film is an underdog. This film is part of an ongoing series of work I’ve been making called SECRET LIFE OF MUSLIMS, a set of films that captures stories about American Muslims. The series, which has been nominated for an Emmy and a Peabody, has been one of the most rewarding projects I’ve had the opportunity to make.
Why Are You Drawn to Stories Like This? What Struck You? Growing up Jewish, I faced a fair amount of discrimination. I was called names in school, kids threw pennies at me to remind me that Jews are cheap, and someone even threw a large rock through the front window of our home. After 9/11, when I started seeing examples of Islamophobia in the US, I felt a connection to what Muslims I knew were experiencing. So I decided to try to make films that provide stories that aren’t being told in the US media.
How Did You Approach Production? In August of 2021, we traveled to Muncie to meet and film the congregants of the Islamic Center and Mac’s family.
Emily McKinney.
Over the course of several days, we spent time with Mac’s wife and daughter, who were generous and open, and with the community, who made us home-cooked meals and shared kindness. On camera, they told the story from their vantage point, a group of would-be victims who did the only thing they knew to do, to be kind and open to a troubled soul.
How Do You Think the Film Is Relevant to Our World Right Now? To me, this is the story of a collision course between Richard “Mac” McKinney and the congregants of the Muncie Islamic Center. It’s a story so relevant to our world today – a world filled with misunderstanding, people taking sides, and seemingly unbridgeable societal gaps – and yet this story shows there is hope. I believe the film can serve as a glimpse into what is possible when we stay open and kind, a story about family, compassion, and forgiveness.
Director’s Statement courtesy this online site.
Joshua Seftel is best known for directing the political satire WAR, INC., starring John Cusack, Ben Kingsley, Joan Cusack, and Marisa Tomei, the Emmy-winning landmark series QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY, and his playfully poignant segments on CBS Sunday Morning with his 85-year-old mother, Pat. Seftel is a contributor to the Peabody Award-winning program THIS AMERICAN LIFE, and his essays have appeared on NPR and in The New York Times.
He received his first Emmy nomination at age 22 with his documentary LOST AND FOUND about Romania’s orphaned and abandoned children. The film led to the American adoption of thousands of Romanian orphans.
The Team
Executive Producers (Main Credit):
Lena Khan, Mohannad Malas, Rev. Dr. Conrad Fisher, MD, John W. Kiser, Anna Bick Rowe, Jeremy Mack, Eric Nichols
Executive Producers:
Lena Khan, Mohannad Malas, Rev. Dr. Conrad Fisher MD, John W. Kiser, Anna Bick Rowe, Jeremy Mack, Eric Nichols
Producer: Suzanne Hillinger, Conall Jones, Joshua Seftel
Cinematographer: Karl Schroder
Gregg W. Morris can be reached at gregghc@comcast.net, profgreggwmorris@gmail.com