Here is how I responded
Conversations with my eldest son take me back to the 80’s, 90’s era filled with classic movies and soundtracks to match. As a kid I loved The Goonies, Top Gun, Gremlins, and Star Wars. Moving into my preteen to teen years, films like Juice, Poetic Justice, Boyz N Tha Hood, and Above the Rim spoke to a new generation in the height of drugs and police brutality.
These films and music depicted life in inner cities. They were our version of the 70’s black exploitation era. And our parents couldn’t stand it. Art imitates life. 90’s rap was filled with sex, drugs, and violence. So it only made sense for the movies of that time to depict the music. Unbeknownst to our elders, these films had a message. They made us think and begin to see the world in a way we hadn’t before.
The first movie that made me really think was Juice, starring rapper Tupac Shakur. Prior to the film, he was known as 2Pac the rapper. His debut album, 2Pacalypse Now released the hit single, Brenda’s Got a Baby. The song based off a true story, is about a preteen girl who is impregnated by a cousin who dumps the newborn into a trash dumpster. The song beautifully conveys how poverty is a conduit for teen pregnancy, violence, incest, and prostitution. Social commentary, rap listeners hadn’t heard in such a passionate way from a man.
In Juice Shakur plays “Bishop” alongside three of his friends coming of age in Harlem, New York. In their neighborhood it’s all about getting the “juice” or respect. “Q” the more level headed of the bunch, wants to obtain his “juice” through becoming a scratch ‘n’ mix DJ. Bishop wants to take a more violent route by way of armed robbery. The other two friends, Raheem and Steel are down for the crew, with Raheem supplying the weapon. The plan is to rob “old man Quiles”, the corner store owner who chases the boys off his property with a gun scuffling with a rival crew. Bishop takes the heist one step further by fatally shooting Quiles in the head. This sets off a string of killings for Bishop. Raheem takes a shot to the chest trying to retrieve the gun from Bishop after the robbery. Radames, the leader of a rival Puerto Rican gang is killed confronting Bishop naming him as the killer in Quiles’ shooting to homicide detectives.
As a fan of Tupac’s social commentary on his debut album, his character in Juice is a stark contrast to the social conscious artist we’d been introduced to. I remember leaving the theatre shook at his performance. How could he? How could he rap about society’s ills in a way that was unheard of at the time, to playing a cold blooded killer?
A stack of the films poster were laid out for moviegoers exiting the theater. My friend and I each took one. Once home, I hung it on my wall and gazed at it every night. Personally, I didn’t know any Bishops from a killing perspective. But I did know young boys who were angry, aggressive, and always ready to fight. The question unanswered was “why”. Why was Bishop so angry? What led him to enjoying the thrill of killing? As a twelve, thirteen year old girl, the idea of boys being angry due to environment and upbringing as opposed to the adage of “boys will be boys” completely escaped me.
This film was the first that forced me to think about the ‘why’ behind someone’s anger and the actions that follow.
One day after school, I was on the phone with a classmate. The subject of the movie popped up. I asked her why Bishop was so angry. “Why did he get so angry when Radames said what he said outside Quiles’ store?” I actually hadn’t caught what he said.
“You have to listen to the clues,” she said. “Radames teased Bishop about his father being taken advantage of in prison. That’s why in the beginning of the film his dad is sitting zombie like in the chair with the tv playing in the background.”
Ohhhh.
It all made sense. From a rival crew knowing your father was assaulted in prison, being chased by an old man with a gun, and running from police and security guards, one can begin the understanding of how a young male feels powerless. Bishop’s desire for power and respect is a part of human nature. No one wants to feel without authority over their own life. So measures are taken to earn that power and respect. Unfortunately for Bishop his motivations turned deadly, for himself and others.
Films of my teenage years had substance. They told stories of characters myself and peers could relate to. Scenes and dialogue that sparked further research and critical thought.
In Boyz N Tha Hood, there’s a scene where the main character, Tre takes his friend Ricky to visit his father Furious at his business. Furious is a mortgage broker who is known in the neighborhood for being socially conscious and inspiring his neighbors to avoid the traps and pitfalls of inner city living. Furious gives the boys a lesson on the distinction of property values in different neighborhoods. He also poses the question why certain businesses are rampant in poorer communities.
If there was one thing I took from the film, that was it. Like Furious asked in the scene, why are church and liquor stores on every corner in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods? With a set of grandparents residing in East St. Louis and the city of St Louis at the time, it never occurred to me.
This is what I feel is missing from this era of cinema. Especially for the youth. Good storytelling with substance that induces one to think. Technology has allowed access to an overabundance of films with subpar storylines and acting. The good thing about streaming services like Tubi, Pluto Tv, Prime, etc. is that the younger generation can watch these films to learn about a time in history.
So, I don’t have a favorite movie. I have a favorite era of films whose storylines stick with me till this day.