Man on Fire

Man on Fire investigates Charles Moore's self-immolation in protest of racism in his hometown of Grand Saline, Texas and explores three major themes: the life and death of Charles Moore, the vestiges of racism in rural America, and the impact of Moore's death on people in Grand Saline and surrounding areas. First, the film narrates the final day of Moore's life through recreating his actions, moving from poignant shots of his morning preparations to the final moments of his death through protest. These visuals are interweaved with the interviews from town residents as well as friends and family of Moore in order to better grasp him as a person, a father, a minister, and possibly a martyr.

Next, Man on Fire captures the authenticity of rural East Texas with engrossing interviews from members of Grand Saline, including a former mayor, a city administrator, business owners, elders, and young adults, to better understand their perspective on racism in their community. By interviewing these people in peculiar places, such as a local museum where elder men play dominoes, a salt museum built from salt, and other quaint locations, the film constructs an authentic feel of Grand Saline, witnessing these people struggling with the realities and perceptions of racism in their town. Outside of these interviews, the film explores communities of color near Grand Saline and investigates how these people fear the racism of their neighbors. In a sense, the film highlights how people of color near Grand Saline utilize racist storytelling as a defense mechanism, helping teach their young to stay from that community because the racist legends might be true. Man on Fire underscores how both white people in Grand Saline and people of color near there hear the same racist stories but interpret them in opposing ways.

Lastly, the film explores how Grand Saline and communities nearby dealt with Moore's death through grappling with the complexity of self-immolation as an effective protest act. Many of the interviews in the film express their raw emotions regarding Moore's death and Grand Saline's racism, demonstrating their anger, pain, fear, and resolve. They also express the shortcomings of Moore's protest, questioning what it means for a preacher to kill himself as dissent. Through these interviews, the film explores the intricacies of this event and its aftermath and attempts to present Grand Saline and Moore as convoluted realities.

Overall, Man on Fire encapsulates the racial climate in Grand Saline and chronicles Moore's life and death, presenting Grand Saline and Moore as two pillars of the film's narrative: one a disjointed man seeking truth and communal repentance and the other a community whose present is inextricably tied to their past.