Our America (Cable telefilm)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: B-     Extras: D     Telefilm: B-

 

 

Many were disappointed when Ernest Dickerson parted ways with Spike Lee as his cinematographer top become a director in his own right, but it turns out he made a smart decision.  The common denominator with all of his work has been to look at the next generation of African Americans at their youth.  Our America (2001) continues this project and it makes for a pleasant surprise, and Dickerson was its cinematographer as well.

 

This was made for the cable network Showtime and joins The Pentagon Papers (reviewed elsewhere on this site) as unusually strong telefilms at a time when the TV movie is for all practical purposes, dead and irrelevant.  In order for a local radio station to be able to do strong coverage of the inner-city, they hold auditions for a new reporter to tell what is really going on.  Two young African American teens who are best friends (Brandon Hammond and Roderick Pannell) who decide to try out for the radio show as young hosts and reporters.

 

When they get the job, this would seem to be cause for celebration, but there are doubters, some jealousy, fear on the part of the family that things may not go well and then opposition from some young, respected members of the African American community and media.  In all this, a young boy has been dropped 14 stories to his death, which becomes ground zero for all the problems the guys decide to talk about.  It is that honesty that is met with some resistance.

 

Besides Dickerson and the Gordon Hayfield teleplay that gets a chance to develop as telefilms did in the old days of the peak of the TV movie in the early 1970s, before TV was overrun by far too many advertisements and commercials.  The casting is dead on as well, especially unusual for e telefilm, let alone not happening much in theatrical features.  It is fair top say this film has a lineage with the theatrical 1974 classic The Education Of Sonny Carson (also reviewed on this site), which was also originally released by Paramount.

 

The full frame color image is from a very clean video master, and at least some of the footage was shot that way.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo offers good Pro Logic type surrounds, which are usually what we can still expect most from even cable, but you can tell it is a recent recording which was done well enough.  Cheers to Patrice Rushen’s good score.  Sadly, despite the interesting subject matter, actors and craftsmen behind the scenes, this DVD is void of extras.

 

Give or take the R-rated language, I remember a time when telefilms and feature films always offered content that was this honest, thought-provoking and challenging.  It is especially aimed at young adults, feeling like an advanced version of the old ABC After-School Specials, a show that is sadly no more.  Our America deserves as wide an audience as possible and this DVD will hopefully make that happen.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo