The new movie Chi-Raq brings back the old Spike Lee, the brash provocateur unafraid to ruffle feathers. Using rhyming dialogue, the movie sets Aristophanes play Lysistrata, in which women go on a sex strike to end a war, amid the gang wars of Chicago. He couldnt get it funded in Hollywood this is the first feature film financed by Amazon. When it was released in the United States last November, it pissed everybody off: Chicagos mayor, Rahm Emanuel, who thought it gave his city a bad rap black activists, who believe its the police who should take the heat, not black gang members and activists of all stripes who find no room for humour in social commentary.
With the film set to open on March 18, we talk to Lee about some of the controversy.
How do you feel when people like me say that Chi-Raq brings back the old Spike Lee, the provocateur who makes grand gestures?
I understand people saying that, but I dont think its true. Besides, I havent had money to do a film on this scale. Thats because I cant write the cheque to make my movies. Its not just me. This is Amazons first feature film. Studios are not making serious films the way theyve done in the past. Theyre too busy making movies about superheroes and comic books. Its hard in general, not just for me.
Why would a Brooklynite choose Chicago as the setting for the film?
Chicago is ground zero for homicide in the United States of America. During the period we were in Chicago shooting the movie June 1 to July 9, 2014 331 people were shot, 56 murdered. Thats just during the time we were working.
Chi-Raq was released after a spate of murders of black people at the hands of police. Why focus on black-on-black killings?
Ive spoken to mothers in Chicago whose children have been shot. Actually, many of them are in the movie. It doesnt matter to them if their child was killed by a cop and or by a black person their children are gone. By the way, we do give a shout-out to Black Lives Matter in the film. But I say its possible to be critical of the police and look at your own community. Its not an either-or situation.
The priest in the film is based on the real-life Father Michael Pfleger, who introduced you to young men from Chicago with gang experience. What did you learn from them?
You have to know that theyre traumatized, otherwise you think that young black men are pathological killers. These men are hurting. They are self- medicating. They see no way out. They have no hope and therefore they have no idea that their lives are worth anything. These guys dont care if they dont get past 18. So if they dont value their own lives, theyre not going to value anybody elses.
Are you surprised that you got so much blowback because of the film?
This would not be the first time in my history as a filmmaker that people have been pissed off at Spike Lee. Its not the first time that black folks have been pissed off at Spike Lee. Look at my filmography. Ive always been honest and truthful about black people in this country. I dont care who you are poet, musician as an artist you learn that not everybodys gonna love you.
Do you think part of the problem is that viewers dont understand the genre youre working with?
A lot of people went to see Chi-Raq who dont know anything about satire. There are people who dont understand that satire is a form where you deal with a very serious subject matter and you have humour, too. People think you cant have both together. And I dont agree.
Don’t miss our review of Chi-Raq here.
susanc@nowtoronto.com | @susangcole
