Slam

This movie is responsible for a lot of things and after finally seeing it I now know why. What it lacks in polished film making it more than makes up for in honesty, passion and ambition. From the performances through to the writing and cinematography everything is raw and beautiful and vibrant with life in a way that we never see in Hollywood films. And I'll be damned if the subject isn't poetry and how it exists in and what it makes of real life. How it is real life. In many aboriginal cultures there is no separate category for art that differentiates it from the rest of life and this movie hearkens back to that cultural tradition. A young Saul Williams defines his life, takes action, heals himself and saves others through his poetry. All of the acting is fresh and real but Saul Williams and Sonia Sohn especially shine, as they should. There is something real going on that is being captured here and the rest of America better know what it is.

I happened upon Slam quite by coincidence one evening. I just got an updated cable system with all of these channels and movies and music. So I was surfing and I came upon Slam. I had no idea what it was. I had never heard of the movie before, but I was familiar with Saul Williams and his work. I had seen him on a documentary a few years ago. I thought the film was brilliant in the sense that it took a familiar topic and refreshed it. Slam was intense and real. It was preachy without being trite, redundant, cliche, or just plain corny. The actors were totally believable. I bought it. I bought it all, hook, line, and sinker. And in the end, that's all I can ask of a film, to take me somewhere I want to go, but haven't been before. This film was not afraid to tell the truth. And again, more importantly it was not afraid to also tell us that there are no easy solutions or easy roads out.

The best films, in my opinion, are those which challenge your conventions and beliefs and really make you think. Slam did that in Spades. I was completely lost in it. The cinema-verite style (the film was shot remarkably like a documentary) completely drew me in. Slam will stick with me for a long time to come.

Also, anyone who knows Washington, D.C. will recognize that this was a great use of D.C. as the setting for a movie. Usually D.C. is used as just a pretty backdrop, but in this movie you saw real sites like the Projects of Southeast and Capitol Hill's Eastern Market, and recognized that D.C. is a city of real people and not just a place aliens blow up.

Without Saul Williams this film could not have been made. Its as if it was tailor made for William's awesome rapping talents without which the film would be pointless.

This film is definitely a milestone in black cinema. Its fresh, breathtaking, original, powerful and 'takes no prisoners' (mind the pun).

And a couple of word about the soundtrack - the ever excellent DJ Spooky takes the credits combining the most powerful hip hop outfits around, to create an intensive soundtrack which completes this film and leaves you open jawed.

Fantastic performances, a good story and interesting photography make Slam a very good movie; realism makes it a great one. I was in awe of the utter authenticity of the people, the situations, the energies in this film. I was suitably impressed by the emotions expressed and how effective it all was, for essentially a minimalist message (the odds are stacked against young black males in the inner cities) but even more impressed once I listened to the commentary on the DVD. I highly recommend you get your hands on the disc, and listen to the commentary after watching the film. Sure, it's a bit too self-congratulatory ("what a beautiful shot!" [it was only "nice"]) but the insight on the people involved--the writers, actors, poets... adds an incredible amount of depth to the experience.

To quickly generalize: if you appreciate Spike Lee's work, you'll probably like Slam. Although Spike might be a little upset that a white Jewish director brought this to film :-)