Hot Docs 2023 Review: I’m Just Here for the Riot

I’m Just Here for the Riot, a typically great ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, directed by Kathleen Jayme and Asia Youngman, looks at one of the most regrettable, but possibly unavoidable debacles in Canadian sports history.

When the Vancouver Canucks faced off against the Boston Bruins in game seven of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals, the hometown B.C. crowd couldn’t contain their excitement. Throngs of people flocked to downtown Vancouver with hopes of being there for an historic moment when their beloved Canucks won the first NHL title in the franchise’s history. Things didn’t quite work out that way, and the mood quickly turned violent and destructive. Hospitals worked overtime, cars were flipped, fires were started, businesses were destroyed, damage estimates were in the tens of millions, and all of it was caught by thousands of cell phone cameras documenting all the primal mayhem.

With I’m Just Here for the Riot, Jayme and Youngman weave an oral history of what could be considered the first ever “cell phone riot.” The incident in Vancouver – which made the city a global laughing stock and object of scorn for weeks after – wasn’t the first such occurrence connected to the Canucks losing a title, but this was something different than what happened in 1994. The presence of cameras seemed to no only fuel the hysteric atmosphere during the riots – creating something referred to here as “riot tourism” – but also drove a unique form of vigilante justice on the internet from people trying to protect their city’s good name and bring the hooligans caught on video to justice.

I’m Just Here for the Riot asks a lot of viewers, and it makes for more compelling viewing. Featuring interviews with both people outed as participants in the riot (some of whom have more guilt to express than others) and those keen to name and shame from a distance, the film asks viewers to simultaneously look at the riots as an awful thing, while making them question if the ends truly justifies the means when it comes to pursuing justice on a such a wide scale. Jayme and Youngman examine the line between consequences culture and vigilante justice, and what happens when cameras contribute to mob mentality. It’s sure to spark debate, but that’s the point, especially when the film questions if people are genuinely able to learn from their mistakes on such an historic level.

Thursday, May 4, 2023 – 2:00 pm – Scotiabank Theatre 7

I’m Just Here for the Riot will be available to stream across Canada via Hot Docs from May 5th to 9th. The film will air on ESPN in the US later this year.