Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk

It’s easy to ding this doc for its nearly three-hour run time, which seems self-indulgent. I don’t think its length is one of its strengths, but I didn’t find it to be a slog either. Mostly I just enjoyed hanging out with its characters and hearing their stories, and I was especially tickled to hear members of the apocalyptic Neurosis geeking out over how much they love Green Day. Being something of an outsider who grew up in a countercultural vacuum, the mere fact of the inclusive 924 Gilman community is incredibly inspiring to me, but learning more about it also gave me valuable perspective on the ethos that helped shape the handful of folks I know who spent time in the scene. Like any good punk thing, Turn It Around encouraged me to remember what’s important to me and participate in it.