Black and Blue

I went into this movie with pretty much no idea what I would be watching. I merely knew I had an indie movie in front of me. Black and Blue has a somewhat interesting storyline and even a few decent moments. However most of the acting (at least all of the main cast) is horrible, the cinematography - especially the general tone of the movie - is pretty uninteresting, seems unfinished.

Sadly, whenever one thinks the movie might take a turn for the better in one or the other scene, raised hopes fall apart just after the next cut.

The only good thing about this movie is the soundtrack. There are quite some decent independent tunes on here but that alone doesn't make it passable. Sad, since the material might have been a decent base for a really good movie...

What could have been a nice film turned out to be quite disappointing.

I saw Black & Blue at a local film festival. I've been wanting to get a copy but I can't find it. This is a shame because the movie is an uplifting story that would be great for teens! The story is very basic. It's about an abused runaway teen (Christine Evans) from who comes to LA to escape her hellish life in Arizona. Instead of finding a caring relative to take her in, she receives even more abuse, and turns to the streets. There she finds a place with other misfit teens who are squatting in a warehouse. They are disgusted with the way the world has treated them and turn to drugs for escape.

But they are talented, and eek out a living playing music on the streets for pocket change. The lead character has to decide if she will fully join the group by becoming a druggie, and accept her that life will never amount to anything. Or....

She can try to pull herself out of the gutter and bring her new friends along with her. She is given inspiration -- you might say divine inspiration -- by an old blues musician.

While this character is written to fit the stereotype of the "wise old negro," the actor imbues him with a charm that really convinces you he could inspire a young, talented but highly confused teen girl.

Christine Evans, a Christian pop singer, is very good in the lead. I don't know if she ever acted before but I believed her. While her friends are a bit too well-scrubbed (and chaste!) to portray real street teens, they are decent actors.

The street teen is a real and horrible problem in LA... I know because I volunteered to work with them. While most of the actual teens never break free, a film like Black & Blue might be helpful to teens who've yet to go underground. The spiritual message is there, but it's not overt or obnoxious. The open-minded viewer can read into it and hopefully get something more than simple entertainment from this film.

I don't know anything about direction but it has a good pace, and the songs (all written by Evans) are catchy and uplifting. If you can find it, rent Black & Blue and watch it with a teenager!