Backyard

McElwee depicts a microcosm of southern society: his brother, an aspiring medical student; his father, a surgeon; and the African Americans with whom they come into contact; the family cook, a beekeeper, and the staff of the local country club, who can scarcely contain their anger at the casual racism they confront every day. Also casting a shadow over the film are the deaths of McElwee’s mother and brother, traumas that his family would prefer to leave unexamined