It’s easy to forget what we cannot see. The 72 people who perished in the Grenfell Tower fire of June 2017 live on in the hearts of those who loved them. The 70 more who were injured, and 223 who escaped ‘unharmed’ will revisit the trauma regularly. But for the rest of us, the protective wrap which covered the tower’s charred remains was the first step towards obscuring it from view. Its demolition over the next two years will seal the deal. Steve McQueen foresaw this when he created his short film Grenfell in December 2017, to mitigate the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ attitude that accompanies so many tragedies.

That the film is being shown in art galleries, rather than cinemas, feels deeply appropriate. To watch it amid fallen popcorn, with sound bleed from the action movie next door would feel beyond disrespectful. Grenfell demands quiet for each and every one of its 24 minutes, many of which play out in silence. Created with a single shot taken via helicopter, the film starts on the outskirts of London and heads inwards. Birdsong accompanies the camera’s flight over suburban homes, a few short miles from the tower but a world away from its multiple floors and myriad fire safety issues.

When we arrive at Grenfell, the birdsong falls away and we’re left with our own thoughts. As the camera loops round and around the building, zooming in to reveal countless bin bags piled high on each floor, McQueen lets the debris do the talking. Refusing to spoon-feed us, there is no text detailing lives lost or corners cut, no sentimental music to manipulate our emotions.

Only time will tell whether a trick has been missed here, when the film is watched by future generations with little or no knowledge of the horrific mismanagement that led to this needless fire. Watching it in 2025, with news footage of the blazing building still seared on our minds, the building itself is sufficient. And each plastic bag, plump with the clothes, toys and household remnants of lives once lived, a heart-breaking reminder of the true cost of political point scoring.

Grenfell is screened at Tramway, Glasgow, Saturday 8–Sunday 23 March; Chapter, Cardiff, Saturday 10 May–Saturday 7 June; The Mac, Belfast, Thursday 17 July–Sunday 21 September, with more venues and dates to be announced; reviewed at Serpentine Gallery, London.