Gospel Hill (2008)

Director:

Giancarlo Esposito

Writers (WGA):

Jeff Stacy (screenplay) &
Jeffrey Pratt Gordon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 August 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A former sheriff of the southern town dealing with past sins, and a former civil rights worker, withdrawn since the martyrdom of his brother thirty years before, confront a threat to their town.

Plot Keywords:

Hazing | Classroom | First Date | Obscene Finger Gesture | Landscaper

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Chloe Bailey	...	Anna
Adam Baldwin	...	Carl Herrod
Angela Bassett	...	Sarah Malcolm
Casey Belville	...	Teasing White Boy
Chuck Bibby	...	Dr. Bob Owens
Darlene Black	...	Nurse
Phillip Bloch	...	George
Tom Bower	...	Jack Herrod
Shirley Jones Bird	...	Grandmother
Jason Downs	...	Tommy Duncan
Chris Ellis	...	L Donn Murray
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Dr. Palmer
Lee Freeman	...	Miriam (President)
Jesse Gore	...	Calvin
Danny Glover	...	John Malcolm

Runtime:

99 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (flashback scenes) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Singapore:PG | New Zealand:M

Filming Locations:

Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Deco Entertainment

Trivia:

Simon Baker was hired for the role of Carl Herrod, but had to bow out at the last minute, due to scheduling conflicts. His name was even advertised on pre-production billboards at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007. The part went to Adam Baldwin, eventually.

Giancarlo Esposito's directorial debut is a well-intentioned, but ultimately simplistic look at racial relations

"Gospel Hill", Giancarlo Esposito's directorial debut, was presented at the 12th Green Mountain Film Festival, after a modest DVD release (which seems to be a popular way to distribute independent films that are still running the festivals circuit without getting the exposure they deserve).

Shot in 19 days with a very limited budget in South Carolina, it's a slow paced story of racial tension and redemption in a small town. Forty years ago, Paul Malcolm (an uncredited Samuel L. Jackson), a black civil rights activist, was murdered, and since then his son John (Danny Glover) has withdrawn from the community. The town's ex-sheriff (Tom Bower), abandoned the investigation on Paul's murder, creating a long term tension between blacks and whites. A golf course development, led by Dr. Palmer (Esposito himself), is about to force the residents of the black neighborhood of Gospel Hill out of their homes, which only makes the racial tension get worse.

As someone who worked with Spike Lee so many times, it's interesting how Esposito's approach to racial relations is completely different from Lee's explosive visual and moral style. Esposito takes his time to introduce the characters, tell the story, being almost contemplative, and seeks redemption for its conclusion. That's not necessarily a bad thing, actually it's refreshing. However, his characters are poorly written, the script is too simplistic, and although Danny Glover and Tom Bower (which slightly resembles Peter Boyle's character in "Monster's Ball") have good moments, the ensemble acting is underwhelming (Angela Bassett, usually a great actress, has had better times, and Esposito, a great actor himself, shows that directing yourself doesn't always work). Listening to him speak about this project leaves no doubt that he had good intentions and a passion for it. Nonetheless, I couldn't help but feeling like I was watching a run of the mill TV movie made thousands of times before. Good intentions alone don't make a good film, but at least he tried to tell a story, which is always something to be praised. Maybe in his next attempt, he will get a better result. 4.5/10.