Some weeks ago I read somewhere a review criticizing Spike Lee for having made a movie about black people for a white audience, and perhaps that is true; I lack the qualifications to be the judge of that.
I have never been to Chicago, and it's unlikely that I ever will visit there, let alone the parts referred to as 'Chi-raq'. Still here I am, in all my white, middle-aged privilege, loving this film.
I love how Spike Lee has managed to adapt the classical play 'Lysistrate' into a current and urgent political context, while still managing to retain the feel of a theater play. He uses the same strategies telling the story as the original production did; the plot is outlined and commented by choirs and a storyteller turning directly into the camera.
It is precisely the sort of bawdy burlesque one would have seen in ancient Greece. And in that same tradition, it also captures, with painful clarity, the tragedy, the frustration, and the despair of the people living in "Chi-raq". It is anything but subtle; Spike Lee has a keen political message and he tells it loud and clear: the violence needs to stop and the government needs to take its responsibility. He offers hints at solutions; jobs, affordable housing, health care, and education.
All main characters are black, except the one man who so eloquently speaks out against the violence and the gun laws -- the Catholic priest. Why did Lee choose a white, middle-aged man for the task? Yes, I get the Catholic priests more often than not are white, but why not write a pastor or reverend instead? Idgi. And it bothers me.
'Chi-raq' features two of Hollywood's best actors: brilliant Angela Bassett, who shines bright as always, and Samuel L. Jackson who plays the storyteller, whose outfits are as loud as ever a pimp's in a 70's cop-show. Wesley Snipes' character is refreshingly different from the ones we're used to see him in, and imo he's doing a good job here. Teyonah Parris is great as Lysistrate and I predict that we'll see a lot more of her in the future.
The film is cinematographically brilliant. Its messy storyline, both ripe with sexual innuendos and intellectual satire with a Dickensian touch, is provocatively pop-cultural to be sure, but make no mistake, it has weight and depth enough to win an Academy Award. And imo, it should.
I have never been to Chicago, and it's unlikely that I ever will visit there, let alone the parts referred to as 'Chi-raq'. Still here I am, in all my white, middle-aged privilege, loving this film.
I love how Spike Lee has managed to adapt the classical play 'Lysistrate' into a current and urgent political context, while still managing to retain the feel of a theater play. He uses the same strategies telling the story as the original production did; the plot is outlined and commented by choirs and a storyteller turning directly into the camera.
It is precisely the sort of bawdy burlesque one would have seen in ancient Greece. And in that same tradition, it also captures, with painful clarity, the tragedy, the frustration, and the despair of the people living in "Chi-raq". It is anything but subtle; Spike Lee has a keen political message and he tells it loud and clear: the violence needs to stop and the government needs to take its responsibility. He offers hints at solutions; jobs, affordable housing, health care, and education.
All main characters are black, except the one man who so eloquently speaks out against the violence and the gun laws -- the Catholic priest. Why did Lee choose a white, middle-aged man for the task? Yes, I get the Catholic priests more often than not are white, but why not write a pastor or reverend instead? Idgi. And it bothers me.
'Chi-raq' features two of Hollywood's best actors: brilliant Angela Bassett, who shines bright as always, and Samuel L. Jackson who plays the storyteller, whose outfits are as loud as ever a pimp's in a 70's cop-show. Wesley Snipes' character is refreshingly different from the ones we're used to see him in, and imo he's doing a good job here. Teyonah Parris is great as Lysistrate and I predict that we'll see a lot more of her in the future.
The film is cinematographically brilliant. Its messy storyline, both ripe with sexual innuendos and intellectual satire with a Dickensian touch, is provocatively pop-cultural to be sure, but make no mistake, it has weight and depth enough to win an Academy Award. And imo, it should.