ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL is yet one more telling documentary that reflects on the misuse of power in contemporary America, and who specifically gets singled out for the alleged misuse of power. It has just been released theatrically, and it is well-worth seeing and contemplating.
ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL is the story of the Abacus Federal Savings Bank, a small family-owned and operated federally chartered bank in New York City’s Chinatown. Abacus had been “catering to the Chinese immigrant community since 1984,” and the crux of the film involves the whos and hows of what happened in 2012 when 19 individuals from Abacus were indicted on charges including mortgage and securities fraud.
ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL is directed by Steve James, whose 1994 documentary HOOP DREAMS is one of the most memorable films of its type that I have ever seen. HOOP DREAMS chronicles the fates of two inner-city Chicago youngsters and their yearning for success on the basketball court. In my review in the Leonard Maltin Movie Guide, I describe HOOP DREAMS as a “searing commentary on our social system, the indomitable strength of the family unit, and the unpredictability of life.” And the same might be said for ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL.
Here, James spotlights Thomas Sung, the bank’s founder and chairman, who was born in Shanghai in 1935, came to the U.S. at age 16, and first became a lawyer before fulfilling his dream of owning a bank that services the Chinese community. Indeed, James chooses to link Mr. Sung to George Bailey, the James Stewart character in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, the 1947 Frank Capra classic. Mr. Sung mirrors George Bailey in that he is depicted as a devoted individual who wishes to “do something for his society.” As he now is aging, the daily operation of Abacus has been taken over by his daughters. Still, all must deal with the indictment.
At the core of ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL is the issue of truth. What indeed is the truth here? Was Abacus singled out? And if so, why? Was anyone at the bank, either owner or employee, guilty of lawbreaking? Taking this a bit further, does the case against Abacus have anything to do with the ethnicity of its owners and operators? With this in mind, does racism come into play here? If Abacus was not a small Chinese-owned and operated business, one that is powerless within the American banking hierarchy, would there have been an indictment?
For after all, how dare the members of a Chinese family think they could own and run a bank? Now sure, Chinese-Americans may operate restaurants or laundries. But a bank? How dare they! And in what is described as a David-versus-Goliath scenario, it is a dismaying task for a small business to go up against the endless resources of the U.S. government.
On one level, ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL works as a real-life courtroom drama and a portrayal of the manner in which one family bands together and remains close during a very stressful time. But in the end, the film is not so much about the guilt or innocence of any of the individuals who worked at the Abacus bank, as well as the Sung family. What it stresses is that Abacus was the only bank whose officers were indicted as a direct result of the 2008 mortgage crisis. And in this regard, the film’s clever title speaks volumes.
Rob Edelman has authored or edited several dozen books on film, television, and baseball. He has taught film history courses at several universities and his writing has appeared in many newspapers, magazines, and journals. His frequent collaborator is his wife, fellow WAMC film commentator Audrey Kupferberg.
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