Walls That Scream

In April 2020, 19-year-old Adil was killed when his motor scooter collided with a police car in the Cureghem quarter of Brussels. He had been attempting to evade a Covid check during the pandemic. The acquittal of the two officers responsible for the chase prompted riots. The neighborhood was left angry and grieving, with their questions unanswered.

In Walls That Scream, graffiti is keeping the memory of Adil alive, with slogans on the walls calling for justice for victims of police violence. Director Evi Cats has captured a neighborhood in transition. In Cureghem, one of the poorest areas of Brussels, old factories are being replaced by expensive new buildings. Yet a local business owner can’t get his electricity supply problem solved. Neighbors visit the place where Adil died. Near one of the surveillance cameras, one of them asks: “Why haven’t you done anything?” An answer is not forthcoming.