"Our Song," a simple yet incredibly rich film that chronicles the
life of three teenage girls in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, is startling
not because of its content, but because of how honestly and candidly
it deals with teen life.
There isn't much of a plot here, at least in the traditional sense of the word. The movie is patient and observational, acting almost like a documentary in the way it captures their lives.
Lanisha (Kerry Washington), Joy (Anna Simpson) and Maria (Melissa Martinez) are close friends and members of the Jackie Robinson Steppers, a highly regarded marching band. The girls attend a high school that's closing because of asbestos problems, and, since it's late summer, must decide if and where they are going to enroll for the upcoming school year.
Though they still spend a lot of time together, Joy is branching out and making friends with other girls. Lanisha and Maria are becoming closer than ever, confiding and relying on one another.
{INSERT_RELATED}Both have boy troubles. Lanisha's boyfriend is spending less and less time with her and wants to see other people. Maria's problem is much more serious. At a party a couple months back, she had sex with a guy. Now she is pregnant and scared, unable to decide if she should keep the child.
Hope is a hard thing to come buy in their neighborhood. A young pregnant woman the girl's know and like takes her son in her arms and jumps from a window in her apartment, concluding that the three of them are better off dead. Poverty and despair are everywhere.
Their family situations range from decent to good. Though divorced, Lanisha's mother and father love her very much and are loving parents. Maria's mother is strict but caring. Joy's situation is the worst. Her mother appears to be no older than 25 and is not around much.
Writer/director Jim McKay ("Girls Town") has crafted a detailed, complex and sincere film that avoids cliché. How much he cares for his subjects and their story is instantly apparent. There is no cynicism or pessimism here. It's a slice of life that takes great lengths to be as truthful as possible.
The acting by the three leads is phenomenal. While watching them, you realize how truly awful the acting is in Hollywood teen films. They are effortlessly charismatic and sympathetic. You feel their pain and come to care deeply for them. They are compassionate, kind girls with limitless potential, if only they could catch a break.
"Our Song" may not be revolutionary or shed new light on the tough lives of big city, poverty-stricken teens. But it's an extremely rare, strikingly good film. You won't soon forget these remarkable girls.
"Our Song" is showing at the UWM Union Theatre, located on the second floor of the UWM Student Union, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd. It plays on Fri., March 1 at 7 and 9 p.m. and Sat.-Sun., March 2-3, at 5,7 and 9 p.m. Admission is $5. Call (414) 229-4070 for more information.
