Dawg… That movie. We need to talk. That movie was ILL.
This is from Oakland. It’s beautifully shady… cleverly scandalous. It’s a film seemingly built from a compilation of real life experiences and realistic film technique. A professionally done street tale. A modern folktale.
And then I thought: Damnnnnnn…
Like… there was a time where I was embarrassed of Oakland, because so much bootsy shit would come from here. It was during the mid-late 90’s. After Mobb Music’s height and prior to Hyphy, Soul Beat-esque videos were the wave. And that’s not a pretty wave to ride into the entertainment industry on. But that’s what I did. And then I saw media from NY, LA, ATL, and thought, damnnnnn…
But this film…
Bro. I don’t want to write a golden review, but this joint is tight. It’s graphic, it’s well-written, acted, and edited. Reminders of Menace to Society come through the symbolism of the Lord and other benevolent things. We’ve seen a bloody gang dispute end with a dead body in a vacant building in Juice. And we’ve seen a young man get mowed down in an alleyway in Boyz In The Hood. This film has both.
The cinematography of Belly comes to mind during some of the crisp shots of the hood – rarely does the camera see the beauty that the residents are privy to… and the frustration as well. The complexities of the hood are shown and told; the peer pressure, the poverty pressure, the pressure of everyday life in the Bottoms – the back of West Oakland – are all very well communicated to the audience.
And not a single cop car was shown. How about that? They showed the probation department, but never a cop. Never a jail cell. That part of the issue was glossed over. Why? Maybe because the conflict in this story isn’t about men disobeying government sanctioned laws. Maybe this film is about man and his battle between good and evil in the midst of a setup that ushers evil actions. Concepts of right and wrong are arbitrarily created and recreated everyday when you live with a survivalist’s mindset. This isn’t just about a young man named D who got caught up in the wrong circle in West Oakland… This is a story that can circulate through any of America’s inner cities and ring bells at every stop.
All around the world, it’s the same song. And this depiction of it hit a little closer to home because I know that accent. I know those faces. Hell, I exactly where the majority of the shots were taken.
What a message to put out into the streets of Oakland. How graphic. This is how to hit a hard-headed teenager over the head with some real shit. I can see my young homies getting excited right now. “I know where that is!” – that’s what they’ll say when they see certain shots of West Oakland. “Bruh is with the shit!” – that’s what they’ll say during the intense moments of conflict. “That’s raw” – that’s what they’ll say when the movie ends. I just hope they get it. If not, they’ll be like me… Watching it again just to make sure I get every detail.
I mean… I can pull out some low lights in terms of how the identity of certain characters were revealed, and how that might spark confusion. I could even go on a tirade about the main character, and how there is a sequence that places him at the Probation Department, then at MacArthur Bart awaiting the train, and then on the train heading to MacArthur Bart, but that comes from watching that joint multiple times. And by being from here. And being a hard ass about stuff from here, because man… I hate bootsy shit from Oakland.
And If I’m down to criticizing stuff that size… that means I like this film… I like it a lot.
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In the near future, you can see Licks in Birmingham, Sacramento, and Oakland. Flyers are below.
