The new documentary profiles three police officers and three young men in 2017 when East St. Louis had the highest murder rate per capita in the world.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Near the beginning of the documentary “Give Us This Day,” former police chief Michael Hubbard reflects on the violence he hoped to decrease in East St. Louis.

“East St. Louis was like a vineyard that made some of the finest wine,” said Hubbard in the documentary. “But at one point those vineyards burned down. You couldn’t produce what you used to produce, and the people didn’t come like they used to come. That’s where we are now. We’re fighting a battle every day because you don’t know if you’re going to make it home.”

The new documentary profiles three police officers and three young men in 2017 when East St. Louis had the highest murder rate per capita in the world.

A film crew shot for 75 days, focusing on the police chief and two of his officers, a 12-year-old determined to become a police officer, an aspiring baseball player who dreams of getting out of his hometown alive and a young man willing to sell drugs to earn money for a baby that’s on the way.

“Give Us This Day” was written and directed by brothers Jeff and Michael Zimbalist. Zimbalist said multiple cities were considered for documenting the challenging relationship between policemen who work in violent communities.

“We actually filmed with police departments and residents in the north side of Minneapolis, Chicago, Muskegon Heights, Los Angeles,” said Zimbalist.

Eventually the filmmakers determined the East St. Louis Police Department and city residents were willing to cooperate, although earning the community’s trust was a gradual process.

“I think a big part of it honestly was that both ourselves and our crew kept showing up day after day and saying, ‘look, we're not like traditional news media, we're not coming in here to just get a quick story. We're genuinely interested in who you are, what your story is as an individual.’”