This festival of films and videos by black artists from around the world continues Friday through Thursday, August 13 through 19, at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State. Tickets are $9, $5 for Film Center members, and $3 for SAIC students; for further information, call 312-846-2800. Programs marked with an asterisk (*) are highly recommended, and all works will be projected from video formats.
Handsomely shot by Jeffrey T. Brown, this low-key take on gangsta life begins like standard exploitation fare, but writer-director Mike Merrill seems more interested in the psychology of crime. Two longtime partners, one black (David Newman) and the other white (cowriter Faris Fay Curry), clash when each decides to go legit; unfortunately the cliched and talky script generates a somnambulant rhythm at odds with the violent ending. 120 min. (AG) (Sunday, August 15, 5:30, and Wednesday, August 18, 7:45)
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- Island Father
Screenwriter Ytasha L. Womack wants to talk about love, but you won’t want to listen. This collection of stories, held together by one couple’s argument in an elevator, is a depressing parade of booty-chasing men and the earnest professional women who can’t help but love them. Their overwritten scenes seem designed to let the actors shine: everyone gets a dramatic speech and every scene builds to a predictable climax. Director Jonothan Woods also has an annoying penchant for extremely tight framing that can’t be entirely explained by his limited resources. For much of the film I felt that I was the one trapped in an elevator. 81 min. (HSa) Woods and Womack will attend the Friday screening. (Friday, August 13, 8:00, and Wednesday, August 18, 6:00)
With All Deliberate Speed
