In 1995 a 5 day long heat wave hit Chicago. 739 people were killed – the majority of them from poor black communities. The documentary looks at why the were so disproportionately affected.
“Cooked: Survival By Zip Code” is a documentary that starts off looking at the Chicago heat wave of 1995, an event that lasted 5 days and killed (at least) 739 people.
What was so tragic about that death toll is that it seemed to affect only the poorest of neighbourhoods, and disproportionally those that were elderly and black. Why? Because they couldn’t afford air conditioning, didn’t dare open windows for fear of people breaking in and had no public buildings with air conditioning that they…
Director: Judith Helfand
Stars: Judith Helfand
Katy’s Rating: 
7/10 – Good
