Burning an Illusion

pirateneckbeard4.0

This was a surprising revelation that on paper I didn't think would be so profound and suck me into it's narrative. Director Menelik Shabazz gives us this simple beginning of a woman stating that she just wants to settle down with a good man and live an simple happy life and it's painted this way but he captures these scratches in the record of our amazingly performed lead character Pat Williams(Cassie McFarlane) as she undergoes all these obstacles mainly with Del Bennett(Victor Romero Evans) and his baggage. I have to say with all the annoying teeth sucking sounds and obvious disappointments put in front of our protagonist I was hooked to this story for two reasons well maybe three but if it weren't for Cassie McFarlane giving a full organic performance and Shabazz just making the material organic with how the material unfolded and characters changed as well as situations I would have easily dismissed this film but because of them this film burns brightly in my eyes.

𝔻𝕠𝕔 𝕃𝕪𝕠𝕟4.0

1st Menelik ShabazzSeen at the BFI with my lovely friend Isabella, we were both surprised by how well this has aged in 40 years. Shabazz’s film posits a discovery of self that involves rejecting the white western model of macho capitalism, an invisible oppressive force that creates aspirations that destroy minority cultural identity and connections. Instead, it stresses embracing an alternate system that stresses pride in one’s cultural identity and political awareness of the system that sought to break them down. It’s a bold suggestion to infer that relationship problems that ended in domestic violence can be resolved by political action and unified struggle, but Shabazz makes it work within the context of the drama; our leads become more empathetic and less materialistic through their shared experiences of fighting the racist system they’re stuck in, a new understanding blossoming between them that simply was not there when they played by the rules.It helps that Pat and Del are excellently sketched and nuanced characters, thanks to both Shabazz’s script and the nuanced performances between the two leads. They have a nervous chemistry at the beginning that shapes their often-fraught relationship but nevertheless feels completely lived in and authentic. It also allows for some cringeworthy moments, including their first date at a restaurant that will live with me for a long time.There’s also a fabulous dub and reggae soundtrack, including some live performances, and a chance to see London in the eighties. What’s not to like?

GBP3.5

starts as one of the unintentionally great 'niggas ain't shit' films (black male directors love to clown themselves and i love to see it) before morphing into a beautiful portrait of a young black british woman coming into herself.loooooooots of things in this that maybe haven't aged well or deserve to be discussed more rigorously, but at the end of the day there are still so few films like this and that is why menelik shabazz was such a pioneer!!