First, I have to tell you how I even came to see this film. I was hanging out in the DGA the day before its L.A. premiere and ran into one of the producers, Debra Wilson. We struck up a conversation and I learned that she was promoting Mississippi Damned. This was not the first time I had heard of the film. Before I left D.C., Lisa Moore of Redbone Press sent me the trailer and informed me that I had to check the movie out if I was going to be in town during Outfest.
When Debra and I parted company, I had all intentions of buying a ticket that day. But somehow I got sidetracked and, before I knew it, the film sold out. The only other alternative was to get to the theatre an extra hour early and hang out in the "stand-by line" in hopes of snagging a vacant seat. This whole L.A. thing has been my little adventure so I was game to waste an hour and see if the ticket gods were on my side.
One of those rare times when I am on time for anything resulted in me being the first person in line. I knew this positioning guaranteed that I would get into one of the 10 seats that are historically open during sold out shows, but I wasn't expecting that at 7:30 p.m. one of the Outfest volunteers would walk up to me and hand me a FREE ticket. Seems that they were having some sort of contest and the first person in the stand-by line for the showing of the film won a ticket. Lucky me! But my luck didn't end there. The line they instructed me to stand in turned out to be the crew/cast line and, before I knew it, I was being ushered into an empty theatre with my choice of seats. So I go from fretting I wouldn't get into the movie at all to being pushed to the front of the line.
So, clearly, all this good fortune put me in a great mood to receive this much talked about movie. But I have to admit I was secretly worried. The buzz on the film, and there was a significant amount of it, was that the story was compelling, the photography haunting andthe acting, by a primarily all-black cast, was exceptional. Still licking my wounds after being shamed into seeing Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married, with the weirdly same kinds of accolades, I had reason to hold on to some of my skepticism.
I’ve been to my fair share of film festivals and often the centerpiece film stinks to high heaven. It is often chosen because of the stars in the film or some other political reason. So what if this film fell into that category? What if it sucked? What if the mixed audience didn't get the story that writer/director Tina Mabry was trying to tell in her feature-length directorial debut? What if all the fanfare was unwarranted?
Five minutes into the film it was clear there was nothing to worry about. Mississippi Damned was in the capable hands of Ms. Mabry and she never lost control.
Based on a true story, the film follows a tight knit and expansive Mississippi family over the course of 12 years. On the surface, it appears like everyone is happy and doing their best to carve out a quality life, but through the eyes of the youngest members of the family, we quickly learn there are more than a few cracks in the foundation of this fiery and volatile southern clan.
Physical and sexual abuse plays a large part in this story and touches virtually every member of the family. And, like a lot of families, everyone knows but no one talks about it. Mabry is especially unflinching in the depiction of the sexual abuse of the youngest members. The audience was audibly disturbed when young Sammy is made to participate in oral sex with a family friend in exchange for the money he needs to attend an out-of-town basketball game (and maybe his one chance to escape his soul-sucking hometown).
The large cast is stellar. With stand outs being Michael Hyatt (Fame, The Wire), Malcolm David Kelley (Lost, Saving Grace) and Simbi Kali Williams (The Bernie Mac Show, 3rd Rock from the Sun). Their performances are riveting and heartbreaking. You can’t help but root for them, although it is clear not all of them will make it and their undoing is often by their own hands.
During the Q&A, Mabry shared that the film was shot in 19 days. The seasoned filmmakers in the audience literally gasped understanding what an amazing hat trick was pulled off. There is nothing about this film that seems rushed or lacking. Coming in at 120 minutes, the director takes the time to show us all the nooks and crannies. Each character is given the opportunity to develop and make an impression. The script is solid, with memorable dialogue like, “When you get one of your titties cut off then you can preach to me about thanking God. Until then, shut up!”
My chief complaint is that it is not clear that the story is being told primarily though young Kari’s eyes. It would not be until the narrative shifts into her young adult years that it becomes clear that she is the one that we need to invest all our hopes in escaping the suffocating dysfunction that surrounds her.
The cocktail reception that followed the screening elicited a lot of conversation around the various taboo subjects that were broached during the film. Two very interesting observations came up among the primarily black audience. First, why was the only family member to make it out a very light-skinned, pretty character? Second, why did the only gay character in the film end up in a mental hospital? Since the film is based on fact it is hard to argue with the outcome, but I do wonder if Mabry has heard this feedback before?
I suspect the other feedback she will hear, especially if the film wins a larger audience, is the way in which the men in the family are depicted. They are all at the mercy of some sort of vice, be it liquor, gambling or the need to batter their wives. It appears the women are left to hold the family together, but if we look close enough we can see that they are significantly flawed as well.
Mississippi Damned has received much deserved praise and high visibility on the festival circuit. Now the producers (Morgan Stiff and Lee Stiff) and filmmaker are hoping to treat the film to a theatrical release and, hopefully, to a wider audience.
Without a doubt, this powerful film needs to be seen at a theatre near you.
Review by Michelle Sewell
For more information on the film, check here.
View the trailer of the Mississippi Damned below
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