1117 love jones

[swo17]

love jones



Steeped in the bohemian cool of Chicago's 1990s Black creative scene, love jones—the smart, sexy, and stylish debut feature of writer-director Theodore Witcher—is a love story for anyone who has ever wondered: How do I know when I've found the one? Larenz Tate and Nia Long have magnetism and chemistry to burn as the striving, artistically talented twentysomethings—he's a poet, she's a photographer—who spark over their love of literature and jazz, but whose mutual reluctance to commit to a relationship leaves them both navigating an emotional minefield of confusion, jealousy, and regrets. Velvety cinematography; an unforgettable, eclectic soundtrack; sophisticated dialogue; and refreshingly low-key, naturalistic performances by an ensemble cast that also includes Isaiah Washington, Lisa Nicole Carson, Bill Bellamy, Bernadette Speakes, and Leonard Roberts come together in an intoxicating, seductively moody romance that engages both the heart and the mind.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director Theodore Witcher, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
• New interview with Witcher and film scholar Racquel J. Gates
• New interview with music scholars Mark Anthony Neal and Shana L. Redmond on the soundtrack
• Panel discussion featuring Witcher and members of the cast and crew
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by critic Danielle A. Jackson

[knives]

I’ve never heard of this or any of its players besides Long before making this instantly the most interesting release for me.

Anyone with any opinions?

[hearthesilence]

I have a soft spot for this film because it was basically filmed in one of the neighborhoods I lived in while I was still in Chicago. (Years before, but I still recognize a lot of it.)

[Matt]

Someone remind me, is Theodore Witcher the famously-banned-from-multiple-forums Ted W?

Regardless, whoever is advising them on these ‘90s Black classics (Ash Clark, I assume) is doing a hell of a job. This is not the canon that Criterion is known for, but this is a canon that deserves respect, wider distribution, and the kind historical and cultural contextualization that the Criterion brand offers. I know some people here and elsewhere see this as just “woke” pandering or a white savior narrative, but bringing these films out of the four-movies-on-a-flipper-DVD bargain bin and into the light of serious critical consideration is important work. They might not be Bergman or Bresson, but I think we can agree that they’re at least as important as the work of Whit Stillman, Alexander Payne, or Greg Mottola (just to name a few contemporaries in the Collection, not a judgment of equivalence or value or talent or whatever else you’re going to read into it).

[hearthesilence]

Apparently Witcher has been tweeting updates on this for months. (What you see on HBO Max won't be the same master.) Also he mentions that Barry Jenkins's Medicine for Melancholy should be coming soon from Criterion.

Meanwhile, came across this NY Times roundtable that's a good read: "Many of the participants had never before talked to one another, reflecting a commonly reported feeling of isolation. But the experiences they shared — of barely disguised prejudice, of being marginalized by executives who feigned interest in their work, of lacking a safety net that seemed to buoy their white peers — fit into a kind of mosaic. It depicts a system that failed to sustain a generation of its minority talent, and stands as a challenge to those who would seek reform."

[therewillbeblus]

This is a nice find and a welcome release from the company, a sweet film that is at once a familiar indie urban romance of emerging adults engaging in self-discovery and a singular application of these white-dominated cinematic milieu markers to the black collectivist communities, often resigned to the peripheries of these spaces. The film masterfully celebrates the road to navigating mature young adult relationships, toeing the line between lighthearted universality of the individualistic focus in one's 20s and honing in on the gravity of each encounter as one that could be life-altering if we only have the courage to give it attention. Witcher pulls no punches on the immature tactics we use to dance around being vulnerable, the fronts we put up to stay safe in false pride, the games we play to flirt and withhold from one another, but he validates these as well by transparently and considerately letting us know that the characters are aware of their behavior.

The film speaks to a truth few films like these acknowledge: That we are a lot more conscious to our fear-based, testing actions than we believe, even if in a fleeting moment alone between dismissing the value of someone we've been rejected by, or laying in wait, unsure of how to maneuver in step with the will of the one we so desperately want to love us back. Those moments of isolation are meditated on without flair but create a warmth of connection, between the audience and the characters, and an energetic bond between the characters in separate spaces. The film is never tragic but wholly empowering, reminding us that we can swiftly weigh the consequences of our actions and rebound with immediacy to re-engage with enlightened agency, peeling back the layers of doubt to be true to ourselves.

The soundtrack is applied with inspiration to set the mood in every scene, and the strong pair of central performances come across as incredibly authentic. Glad to see a film like this get worthy exposure

[Tuppence]

The specs have now added:

- New audio commentary featuring Witcher
- Featurette

But also apparently removed the trailer

[FrauBlucher]

Beaver (no pun needed)

[therewillbeblus]

Beaver (no pun needed)

I don't usually like the puns, but simply making the "b" lower case would have been my kind of humor

[FrauBlucher]

beaver (no pun needed)

I don't usually like the puns, but simply making the "b" lower case would have been my kind of humor

better

[zedz]

The basic plot of this film is trite and predictable, but everything else about it lifts it right up: well-observed local detail, strong performances of nuanced characters, great music, and gorgeous lighting. Take a bow, Ernest Holzman, for shooting such a handsome film!