THE PUBLIC Trailer
The Public is a film about a group of homeless people looking for a place to stay in sub-zero temperatures. After the local homeless shelters refuse to take in any more people, a group led by Jackson (Michael K. Williams) decide to stage a protest by refusing to leave the local library many of them frequent. This puts head librarian Stuart Goodson (Emilio Estevez) in a tough spot as he officially can’t allow them to use the library as an emergency shelter.
Within a matter of hours politics enter the equation and the situation starts to spiral out of control. The local district attorney (Christian Slater) feels he must uphold the law even if it means removing a group of homeless people and putting them out on the streets in the freezing cold. A crisis negotiator (Alec Baldwin) is brought in to broker a deal between the city and the protesters as tensions run high. Once local journalist Rebecca Parks (Gabrielle Union) starts to cover the story, the city starts to become divided over whether these people should be removed from the library or not.
The Public is directed by Emilio Estevez and stars Alec Baldwin, Emilio Estevez, Che “Rhymefest” Smith, Gabrielle Union, Michael K. Williams and Jeffrey Wright. There is no information available on when the film will be released in theaters, so if you’re interested you’ll have to keep an eye out for (international) release dates by clicking here. If you’re interested in the connection between librarians and homeless people please read this review of the film by a librarian.
Should public buildings be used as homeless shelters during emergency situations? Let us know in the comments!
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.
