HALE WORTHY
Documentary examining Black lives in a small Alabama community is pure visual poetry,
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
(out of 4) Innovative documentary about everyday life in the Black Belt of the American South. Screens 8 p.m. Thursday at the Royal Cinema, 608 College St. Directed by RaMell Ross. 76 minutes. STC
Hale County This Morning, This
Evening, a unique documentary screening Thursday night at the Royal Cinema, vividly sketches African-American lives on an Alabama trek that bypasses stereotypes and narrative conceit, proceeding directly to empathy.
It’s a blast of pure visual poetry from photographer turned docmaker RaMell Ross, who shot over 1,300 hours of footage over five years, distilling his work to an almost surreal 76 minutes.
Making its Toronto premiere, this is one of the most fascinating docs of the past year. It won a Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at Sundance 2018, where it had its world premiere.
Ross travels to the Black Belt of the American South — home to nearly 15,760 people, and a racial makeup that was once mostly white but is now 60% Black — to examine and kick against stereotypical stories and images of African-American males.
Within the film’s deceptively random structure, two men and their families become the focus.
Basketball player Daniel Collins is hoping to parlay his athletic skills into a better life outside Hale County. First stop: studies at Selma University, a Black bible college.
New father Quincy Bryant, a high school dropout struggling to raise his young son Kyrie with the boy’s mother, Latren- da “Boosie” Ash, also yearns for more.
Ross has special insights into the actions and aspirations of Daniel and Quincy: his career resumé includes basketball coach and manager of a youth program.
Hale County This Morning, This Evening screens at the Royal as part of the Black Gold series showcasing the work of Black filmmakers and talent. A limited number of free tickets are being made available to members of Toronto’s Black community. Details on the Black Gold page on Facebook.