The Oscar-nominated documentary short “Stranger at the Gate” follows Mac McKinney, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, who returns home to Muncie, Indiana, with PTSD. During his years in the Middle East as a Marine, McKinney’s views of Muslims calcified into rage.
One day, after his daughter came home talking about a Muslim friend, he came up with a plan to detonate an improvised explosive device (IED) outside the Muncie Islamic Center on a Friday afternoon when people gathered there. Ultimately, he did not follow through and had a religious conversion after visiting the center.
“They didn't understand that he was there with bad intentions — that he had a bomb that he was going to use. But they were kind to him. They welcomed the stranger. I mean, they saw this guy and he was scary. I mean, Mac is a big guy. He's got tattoos all over his arms. He's got a skull tattooed into his hand,” says “Strangers at the Gate” producer and director Joshua Seftel. “He was nervous and he was red and sweaty, and they just were like, ‘This guy. There's something wrong with this guy.’ But they were still open-hearted to him and kind and they welcomed him in.”
Seftel says McKinney’s story is all about making connections by finding common ground.
“I just think that's a message that we all could use right now. Because we're in a time where we don't really talk to each other that much anymore. If a friend votes for a different presidential candidate than we do, we might stop being friends with them these days. … We have to find a way to connect with each other and to remember that we do have this shared humanity between us all.”