ROUGH RIDE
Against the backdrop of a deeply divided, fragile city riven by the death of Freddie Gray, a 65-year-old, African-American state senator at the back end of her career desperately seeks to break through in her pursuit of the Baltimore mayoralty. Running on a pledge to unite the city and restore integrity, she goes from also-ran to mayor with a come-from- behind victory in a riveting, down-to-the wire race — only to fall from power three years later in a bizarre scandal that shakes Baltimore and leaves the city once again at a crossroads.
An intimate, verité chronicle of the rise and fall of former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, Rough Ride takes viewers behind the scenes of Pugh’s journey through a bitterly fought election free-for-all, before tracing her stunning descent amid a spiraling scandal over no-bid sales of her self-published children’s books. This richly textured, character-driven documentary brings depth and nuance to her rollercoaster story, shedding light on a compelling political drama while examining the reverberations for a city in crisis. Unfettered access to Pugh and her campaign team provides a raw, honest window into the complexity of her character, as well as a revealing glimpse inside the rough and tumble of Baltimore politics.