Guy Lochhead, 17/04/12
Super-low budget “hood film” made by Brooklyn teenager Matty Rich in 1991. All the actors were friends who worked for free. Funds were raised through asking family, maxing out credit cards, and appearing on local radio stations. I have been watching a lot of hood films recently, and this is my favourite by far. Sometimes melodramatic, sometimes hilarious, sometimes confused; it is one teenager’s vision, and is all the more affecting for that. Some critics see some of the financial limitations as detrimental to the film’s believability – the trowelled-on domestic violence bruises, occasionally OTT acting – but I think all that is far more exciting and appropriate for the subject matter than if it had been glossed up by a big studio, like Boyz N The Hood etc.. This film is the story of a kid trying to escape his background, both in front of and behind the camera. I will include the DVD.