Award-winning US documentarian Steve James tells this captivating story of the only bank indicted following America's 2008 financial meltdown.
"The Abacus Federal Savings Bank in New York's Chinatown is one of America's smallest banking institutions. Shanghai-born Thomas Sung founded it in 1984 (inspired in part by Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life) to provide his community with loans, a service routinely denied by other banks. Now 80, Thomas runs the company with the help of his three hard-working daughters. In 2010, the bank noticed irregularities in its mortgage books, and reported the matter to authorities. A lengthy legal battle ensued, driven by the New York District Attorney Office, and an eye-opening story of discrimination unfolded inside and outside of the courtroom. As the film suggests, perhaps Abacus wasn't 'too big to fail', but rather, 'small enough to jail'." (Sydney Film Festival)
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93%74 reviews
The movie wants us to raise our fists and shout, "Yes, that's what happened. And it's an outrage!" Instead, you may feel like raising your hand and asking "Is that really what happened? If so, it's an outrage! Now please show us some evidence."
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James recognises that the Sungs’ normalcy is part of what makes Abacus infuriating.
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Not without its blind spots, but James locates both familial intimacy and a bigger picture without sentimentalising his subject.
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A modestly gripping real-life legal thriller with an appealing Chinese-American twist.
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We aren’t aware of any way to watch Abacus: Small Enough to Jail in New Zealand. If we’ve got that wrong, please contact us.
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