Abacus, a small neighborhood bank serving New York’s Chinese community, was the only financial institution to be prosecuted during the United States mortgage crisis in 2008. Was Abacus made a scapegoat? That is what documentary-maker Steve James suggests in this 2016 documentary about a five-year court battle in which the drama occurring to the Sung family adds an emotional dimension to an already gripping story. James exposes yet another story about racism, institutional arrogance and the struggle of David versus Goliath, in this case, the powerful forces that constitute the very fabric of the American way of life. Deeply moving and subtly scandalous, James’s film was even nominated for Best Documentary at the Oscars in 2017.

 
2017: Oscar: Nominated forbest documentary
2017: National Board of Review (NBR): Best documentaries of the year