High school students Donovan and Lee have spent their lives straddling the divide between Detroit and its outlying suburbs. Never feeling as though they wholly belong to either world, both boys have forged a friendship borne of mutual understanding. As any Detroiter will tell you: the suburbs are a different planet altogether, filled with their own narratives and stereotypes about the city on their doorstep. When Donovan and Lee find themselves challenged to investigate the all-too-real source of several urban legends, however, they must confront their own fears and inner sense-of-self.
Built in the River Rouge, Zug Island is home to industrial complexes and steel mills. And yet despite its mundane appearance, the island remains shrouded in mystery. With photographs strictly outlawed and Homeland Security trucks seen guarding its gated entry, rumors abound: that the island hosts a top-secret government prison; that it’s contaminated, toxic to set foot on; that the entire facility is haunted by the remains of a Native American burial ground. Most recently, Zug has made international news for the mysterious “hum” emitting from its factories—strong enough to shake the windows in the neighboring city of Windsor, Ontario. All this secrecy is enough to make one wonder: could the rumors be true?
As Donovan questions his own understanding of the city he calls home, he is forced on a journey fraught with real danger in an attempt to confront his fears, refute his classmates’ stereotypes, and reaffirm his love of home. A coming-of-age film in the truest sense, ZUG is a loving, complex look at the myth of the American inner city.