Once a place symbolic of the American Dream, Detroit has been hard hit by the economic downturn. Detroit natives would say “downturn” is an understatement; they’re facing all-out depression. The Academy Award-nominated duo Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady create an indelible postmodern portrait of a city disappearing. With employment at an all-time low, many have fled but some remain—like the young blogger who documents the abandoned architecture, the owner of a blues bar who’s seen the rise and fall of the city, the mayor struggling to keep the infrastructure afloat and the young artists who have relocated to Detroit for affordable housing. Focusing not on the past, but illustrating the current reality, Detropia is a symphony for a city in a precarious state of transition, no longer the prosperous epicentre of big cars and big dreams and uncertain about the shape of its future. – Lynne Crocker (Hot Docs)