"Words make sense for a world that won't"- (SLAM) In the movie "SLAM", written by Marc Levin, Richard Stratton, Saul Williams, Sonja Sohn, and Bonz Malone, directed by Marc Levin, a man named Ray Joshua, played by Saul Williams, is arrested after a drive by shooting for being assumed as the shooter and for having marijuana. Throughout the movie we learn that Ray Joshua is a talented poet that uses his words instead of muscles and guns to make a point. While he is in jail, Ray is faced with a decision to make. Two gangs are trying to force Ray to pick a side, but Ray will not hear of it. Publicly, Ray makes his point by reciting a poem, "Amethyst Rocks", and stating, "So while you're out there serving the time I'll be in sync with the sun while you run from the moon". Ray's poem not only baffles the other inmates but it makes the leader of one of the gangs realize that life is too short to keep playing "the game".
When Ray is released from prison, he gets a shocking surprise. His friend, Big Mike, who was shot during the drive by, is alive. However, returning from the grave isn't so sweet. Big Mike is blind from the gunshot wounds and wants revenge. But with Ray's newfound aspect on life, he declines Big Mike's plea. Instead he persuades Big Mike to end the gang and explains to him and the other people within the gang that the war zone-like environment they live in is dangerous and needs to stop. By changing the views of his friends I find that Ray Joshua is a force that defines himself. Although he falls for one character, Lauren Bell, he does not let anyone, even her, influence his ways.
Ray Joshua is a character that uses slam poetry to express his emotions and let out years of anger that surpasses his time. For example in his poem, "Sha-clack-clack", Ray touches on the history of slavery and how it has continued to enslave all black men and women and that time is continually repeating itself. Instead of Ray ignoring his past, he confronts it head on, stating "I am that timeless nigga that swings on pendulums like vines through mines of booby trapped minds that are enslaved by time." By identifying himself with the past and elucidating how stereotypes have grown stronger through his poem, he enlightens the minds of the people around him, maybe even motivating a need for change within them.
The movie "SLAM" has struck me with its powerful poetry by Saul Williams, but has also left me shaking my head in disapproval of its cliché interpretation of The District of Columbia. I do not live in Washington DC, but it seems that whenever a movie wants to discuss the hard life of a black man, the stereotypical views are splayed across the screen. There is always a typical drug obsession, gang affiliation, jail sentences and sometimes the occasional complicated relationship. It is because of these aspects of the movie why I hate to admit I can relate to it. My life is not a drug bust waiting to happen, nor is it infected by gang violence, but I do share a love for words; words that can evoke emotion when written the right way just as Ray Joshua's character did. To me, this movie sends out the message that time repeats itself and that we cannot move forward unless we acknowledge its repetition or its history.
Time is something that cannot be erased and Ray Joshua makes that very clear, Ray Joshua also demonstrates how time repeats itself. His words convey the idea that time has not changed, it has only morphed itself to look different, but it is still the same. In his poem "Amethyst Rocks", he states, "STEALING US WAS THE SMARTEST THING THEY EVER DID." This line makes me wonder if in some metaphorical way, that the 276,000 males that are in the DC Jail were stolen; not because they weren't guilty, but because their ancestors were dragged here and forced to live a life they did not agree to, just like a prisoner is forced to live in an environment that they wish to be freed from. Overall, I would recommend this film for the poetic genius of Saul Williams, but would advise the viewer that they must get through the stereotypical movie magic first.
When Ray is released from prison, he gets a shocking surprise. His friend, Big Mike, who was shot during the drive by, is alive. However, returning from the grave isn't so sweet. Big Mike is blind from the gunshot wounds and wants revenge. But with Ray's newfound aspect on life, he declines Big Mike's plea. Instead he persuades Big Mike to end the gang and explains to him and the other people within the gang that the war zone-like environment they live in is dangerous and needs to stop. By changing the views of his friends I find that Ray Joshua is a force that defines himself. Although he falls for one character, Lauren Bell, he does not let anyone, even her, influence his ways.
Ray Joshua is a character that uses slam poetry to express his emotions and let out years of anger that surpasses his time. For example in his poem, "Sha-clack-clack", Ray touches on the history of slavery and how it has continued to enslave all black men and women and that time is continually repeating itself. Instead of Ray ignoring his past, he confronts it head on, stating "I am that timeless nigga that swings on pendulums like vines through mines of booby trapped minds that are enslaved by time." By identifying himself with the past and elucidating how stereotypes have grown stronger through his poem, he enlightens the minds of the people around him, maybe even motivating a need for change within them.
The movie "SLAM" has struck me with its powerful poetry by Saul Williams, but has also left me shaking my head in disapproval of its cliché interpretation of The District of Columbia. I do not live in Washington DC, but it seems that whenever a movie wants to discuss the hard life of a black man, the stereotypical views are splayed across the screen. There is always a typical drug obsession, gang affiliation, jail sentences and sometimes the occasional complicated relationship. It is because of these aspects of the movie why I hate to admit I can relate to it. My life is not a drug bust waiting to happen, nor is it infected by gang violence, but I do share a love for words; words that can evoke emotion when written the right way just as Ray Joshua's character did. To me, this movie sends out the message that time repeats itself and that we cannot move forward unless we acknowledge its repetition or its history.
Time is something that cannot be erased and Ray Joshua makes that very clear, Ray Joshua also demonstrates how time repeats itself. His words convey the idea that time has not changed, it has only morphed itself to look different, but it is still the same. In his poem "Amethyst Rocks", he states, "STEALING US WAS THE SMARTEST THING THEY EVER DID." This line makes me wonder if in some metaphorical way, that the 276,000 males that are in the DC Jail were stolen; not because they weren't guilty, but because their ancestors were dragged here and forced to live a life they did not agree to, just like a prisoner is forced to live in an environment that they wish to be freed from. Overall, I would recommend this film for the poetic genius of Saul Williams, but would advise the viewer that they must get through the stereotypical movie magic first.