Our Song (2000)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Jim McKay

Writer:

Jim McKay (written by)

Release Date:

18 April 2001 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Focusing on the bonding between three female (an African American female, a half African American half Latino American female, and a Latino American female) high school members of Brooklyn's "Jackie Robinson Steppers Marching Band" and the choices the girls face once their school closes down because of the need for asbestos removal. This film is about a host of topics, not least of which is the hard-work involved in maintaining friendships.

Plot Keywords:

Marching Band | Asthma Attack | Brooklyn New York | Teen | Asthma

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Melissa Martinez	...	Maria Hernandez
Anna Simpson	...	Joycelyn Clifton
Kerry Washington	...	Lanisha Brown
The Jackie Robinson Steppers Marching Band	...	Themselves
Marlene Forte	...	Pilar Brown
Raymond Anthony Thomas	...	Carl Brown (as Ray Anthony Thomas)
Rosalyn Coleman	...	Dawn Clifton
Carmen López	...	Rita Hernandez (as Carmen Lopez)
Tyrone Brown	...	Mr. Miller
Lorraine Berry	...	Kim
Natasha Frith	...	Keisha
Chuck Cooper	...	Benjamin
Iris Little Thomas	...	Clinic Counselor
Kim Howard	...	Eleanor
Juan Romero Jr.	...	Samson
D'Monroe	...	Terell
Shortee Red	...	Alex (as Reginald Washington)
Tommy Axson	...	Cam
Tyrus Cox	...	Anthony aka The Playa
Tahiem Washington	...	Troy Harper
Starla Benford	...	Woman with Flowers
Greg Haberny	...	Cute 'Guapo' Guy
Lisa Collins	...	School Registrar
Eric Byrd	...	Malik (The Party Kisser)
Sidney O'Loughlin	...	Rasheed
Shannon Phillips	...	Party DJ
Madeleine T. Gamble	...	Steppers Booster
Devin Gray	...	Natasha Up in the Window
Derrick Williams	...	Rodney
Syron Martin	...	Ice Cream Scooper
Jan McLaughlin	...	E.R. Doctor
Carlos Valerio	...	Bodega Proprietor
Xiomana Martinez	...	Bodega Proprietor

Directed by
Jim McKay

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jim McKay		written by

Produced by
Tyrone Brown	....	associate producer
Ashaki 'Saki' Fenderson	....	associate producer (as Ashaki Fenderson)
Alexa L. Fogel	....	co-producer
Joseph Infantolino	....	co-producer
Caroline Kaplan	....	executive producer
Susannah Ludwig	....	associate producer
Jim McKay	....	producer
Paul S. Mezey	....	producer (as Paul Mezey)
Jonathan Sehring	....	executive producer
Michael Stipe	....	executive producer
Diana E. Williams	....	producer

Cinematography by
Jim Denault

Film Editing by
Alexander Hall		(as Alex Hall)

Casting by
Alexa L. Fogel
Karen Gilman
Jane Lew

Art Direction by
Liba Daniels

Costume Design by
Tiel Roman

Makeup Department
Esther Desty	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ashaki 'Saki' Fenderson	....	assistant director

Art Department
Rachel Garrity	....	property master

Sound Department
Stephen Altobello	....	dialogue editor
Cruz Angeles	....	boom operator
Rachel Chancey	....	foley editor
Robert Fernandez	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Rob Fernandez)
Ginger Geary	....	foley artist
Jason Kaplan	....	dialogue editor
Jeanette King-Segnini	....	audio post coordinator
Booker T. Mattison	....	boom operator
Jan McLaughlin	....	sound recordist
Sidney O'Loughlin	....	adr assistant
Dave Paterson	....	supervising sound editor
Jay Peck	....	foley artist
Reilly Steele	....	sound re-recording mixer
James Ziegler	....	sound consultant: Dolby (as Jim Ziegler)

Visual Effects by
Eva Rais	....	opticals

Camera and Electrical Department
Claire F. Cario	....	first assistant camera
Elizabeth Casinelli	....	gaffer
Thomas LeGoff	....	still photographer (as Tom Legoff)
Sylvia Plachy	....	still photographer
Gabrielle Russomagno	....	still photographer
Victor Sira	....	still photographer
Joia Speciale	....	additional assistant camera
Aurelia Winborn	....	additional assistant camera
Franz Wise	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sharika Niles	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Don Ciana	....	color timer
Charly Huser	....	color timer

Music Department
Julie Panebianco	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Sturgis Adams	....	production assistant
Tommy Axson	....	production assistant
Ivan Bess	....	production assistant
Andrea F. Cannistraci	....	legal services
Mekita Coe	....	production assistant
Lisa Collins	....	rough-cut screener
Lisa Collins	....	script reader
Katie Connor	....	production assistant
Joslyn G. Eccles	....	key production assistant
Rachel Garrity	....	key production assistant
Tom Gilroy	....	rough-cut screener
Tom Gilroy	....	script reader
Markus Jengkens	....	production assistant
Brian A. Kates	....	rough-cut screener
Brian A. Kates	....	script reader
Sharika Niles	....	key production assistant
Hans Probst	....	opticals
Josh A. Rubin	....	location manager
Attika Torrence	....	production assistant

Thanks
Stephanie Black	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Beech Hill Films
• C-Hundred Film Corporation
• Independent Film Channel (IFC)
• Journeyman Pictures

Distributors

• Epicentre Films (France)
• IFC Films (2001) (USA)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Camera Service Center  camera equipment
• Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein  legal services
• Magno Lab Link  dailies
• Media Services  payroll services
• Mimondo Productions Ltd.  titles
• Noëlle Penraat  negative cutting
• OK TV  post-production services
• Sound One Corporation  sound mixed at
• Spin Cycle Post  audio post production services

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some teen drug use.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Certification:

France:U | Hong Kong:IIA | USA:R

Company:

Beech Hill Films

Movie Connections:

References Dangerous Minds (1995)

Soundtrack:

Ni Pa'Ca Ni Pa'lla

An undiscovered gem

"Some day, we'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun. Some day, when the world is much brighter"- The 5 Stairsteps "O-o-h Child"

Movies about Black teenagers usually involve inner city gangs dealing drugs or committing violence to a hip-hop soundtrack. Films about the everyday problems of ordinary inner city teens are hard to find, yet there is an undiscovered gem that I would like to recommend. Our Song, by Jim McKay is about three girls in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn who learn that their high school will be closed for asbestos removal and must decide on their future direction, one that may involve going their separate ways. The story is told from the point of view of a 15-year old, not from an adult reminiscing about the past as in most coming of age movies. Avoiding the mandatory street slang and excessive use of F-words, it delivers an honest and loving portrait of three friends at a crossroads in their life. The girls: Lanisha (Kerry Washington), Joycelyn (Anna Simpson), and Maria (Melissa Martinez) are in their sophomore year at the local high school. They are active members of the Jackie Robinson Steppers, a real-life marching band whose rehearsals for a Labor Day parade provide discipline and purpose to their lives.

Similar to David Gordon Green's George Washington but less stylized, the film showcases non-professional black and Latino actors with Kerry Washington as the standout. While the performances have some amateurish moments, I became so involved with the story that I forgot the girls were even acting. Maria, whose father is in jail, has learned that she is pregnant by Terrell, a local student. She wants to have the baby in spite of the fact that she is only 15 and knows that Terrell is probably not going to be of much help. Joycelyn works in an up-scale dress shop but dreams about becoming a singer. In a very poignant scene in her bedroom, she pretends to be talking to her fans, then lies down in bed to recite one of her poems. She is close to Lanisha and Maria at the beginning but drifts off to make friends outside of the neighborhood. None of the girls receive much support at home and Maria is too afraid to even tell her mother about her baby. Yet, the single moms are not typical movie deadbeats or alcoholics. They are warm and loving parents whose time with their children is limited because of the pressure of supporting the family.

Lanisha's parents are divorced but she is able to visit her father, a doorman in a luxury apartment building and talk about music. Her mother is comforting when Lanisha learns that a friend in the neighborhood has committed suicide, a somewhat melodramatic plot point in an otherwise realistic film. As the summer winds down, the girls drift apart and each decides on a different course. There are no big dramatic moments, however, only the sad recognition of the inevitability of change. Though we do not have blinders on about the frustrations that may await them, we identify with their hopes and dreams without dwelling on the negative. Our Song is an emotionally satisfying film about growing up in the projects that refuses to see life in any terms other than possibility.