The plight of blacks in the inner city has been a subject that has been visited to death from filmmakers in the United States. Most present a rather myopic view of those communities and the people who live in them. These films in large part say the same thing -- flee the ghetto and survive or stay in the ghetto and perish. They also address black manhood and criminality through a series of macho clichés. However, with RUDE, Canadian director Clément Virgo's feature film debut broadens the scope of the inner city drama with a complex and risk-taking film.In this film, the filmmaker takes us on a journey in the lives of several very different people. It deals with black manhood and criminality (as these films often do), but broadens the focus to also examine issues such as homophobia, parenthood and love relationships.
RUDE also distinguishes itself from its American counterparts in terms of its visual style. It utilizes theatrical and surrealistic lighting effects to tell its story. Sometimes, Virgo's stylistic flourishes come off as pretentious or showy. However, these same effects often serve to help weave the central (and on the surface, unrelated) stories into each other.
All of the major plot lines deal with some sort of self-discovery and/or examination. The most dominant story involves General (Maurice Dean Wint from HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH), a man just released from prison who attempts to rebuild his life and reunite with his son and the child's mother. Making matters worse, upon his return, he's being pressured to return to the criminal activity that got him in prison in the first place.
Another major story involves Maxine (Rachael Crawford from TV's LOVE SONGS), a woman at the end of a relationship, trying to make some sense of her life.
A third story deals with Jordan (Richard Chevolleau from TV's "Soul Food"), a young boxer coming to terms with conflicts about his sexuality.
Throughout these stories, we hear the "stream of consciousness" observations of the title character (Sharon M. Lewis), the disc jockey of a pirate radio station. Listening to her is like listening to an evening of avant garde poetry. Her descriptions are graphic and at times provocative, but perhaps featured a bit too prominently in the film.
Each story concludes without easy resolutions. Absent are the typical "let's get out of the ghetto and go to paradise" endings. Instead, you are left with "food for thought."
Overall, RUDE is a fascinating film to watch. It's not always clear what Clément Virgo is trying to leave the viewer with at the end. However, one thing is for sure: you're be thinking about this film long after it ends.
RUDE is for the adventurous filmgoer that is tired of formulas. If you really want to see something different -- see this film. The cast which also includes a fine performance by Clark Johnson (TV's "Homicide") is generally strong. Perhaps because the film was shot in Canada, the film avoids the complexioned-based casting that is often found in black films from the States. Clément Virgo is definitely a filmmaker to watch.
On a side note, history was made when Clément Virgo made RUDE. It became the first feature film written, produced and directed by a black Canadian. The filmmaker is also no stranger to the inner city. He grew up in one of the toughest housing developments in Toronto and is one of the subjects in A WAY OUT, a documentary on people who escaped the inner city by Christene Browne (another pioneering black Canadian director).
