Cher is starring in a movie about the Flint water crisis

Thomson Reuters

Lifetime has announced that none other than Cher is set to star in an upcoming film about the Flint water crisis.

The film is titled, simply, Flint. Cher donated 180,000 water bottles to the city, whose water has been contaminated with lead since 2014, and visited Flint last year in October to meet with the Mayor Karen Weaver and see one of the water distribution sites. It’s based on a Time magazine story written last January by journalist Josh Sanburn, who will serve as a consultant on the film. Cher will play a woman who lives in Flint and has to deal with the crisis along with her family.

Though Lifetime probably has good intentions, there are a couple of lingering questions surrounding this project. For instance: if the population in Flint is 57% black, why center the film on a white family? The Time cover story focused on a 2-year-old black boy named Sincere Smith.

Then there’s the fact that of the crisis in Flint is still actually happening—and that it looks like some of the people most directly responsible might be able to avoid justice. Will the movie point this out, or will it treat Flint like a story that already happened?

Let’s just hope Lifetime gets it right and not only educates audiences about the horrific things that have happened to Flint residents, but also authentically tells their stories and makes sure we know that the fight hasn’t ended.

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