‘Epidemic’
Spike Lee puts lens on gun violence,
Spike Lee says the “epidemic” of gun violence in America fuels the urgency of his latest “joint,” the Chicago-set satire, Chi-Raq.
Amid sounds of kids horsing around during spring break programs at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, Lee gave a dramatic explanation for his film’s often-demanding tone. During the six weeks Lee spent shooting Chi-Raq in Chicago last summer, 331 people were wounded by gunfire and 56 were murdered.
“That’s just from June 1to July 9,” said Lee, who was in Toronto to promote Chi-Raq, opening Friday at the Lightbox and available on VOD the same day.
“That’s why (co-writer) Kevin Willmott and I wanted to shed light on this epidemic,” he said in an interview. “It’s not only in Chicago, but Chicago is now the homicide capital of the United States of America.”
The movie takes its story from Aristophanes’s 411 B.C. satire Lysistrata, about a desperate, war-weary woman who encourages others to join her on a sex strike as a way to force the men to stop fighting.
Lee, who turns 59 this Sunday, has been addressing issues of race and social issues in America for 30 years, with movies such as Do the Right Thing, She’s Gotta Have It, Jungle Fever and Malcolm X, challenging audiences to examine their own prejudices along with their views on relationships, culture, history and American urban life by using humour as well as drama.
Lee said he was “blessed” to have actress Teyonah Parris in the role of Lysistrata; he cast Parris after seeing her in the satire Dear White People. He said she embodies “the three s’s — sexy, strong and smart” in playing the girlfriend of gang leader Chi-Raq (Nick Cannon).
Parris’ character decides to take on unending street violence by enlisting other women to deny their gangmember boyfriends sex until peace breaks out.
Parris said in an interview with Vogue: “I hate that this movie is so relevant.”
“We live in a world that’s not Disneyland,” Lee responded with a smile. “I’m sorry but the world is not Mary Poppins.”
Chi-Raq is bathed in urgency for a reason. “On a bigger scale, 99 Americans die every day due to gun violence, a third of those being suicide.”
America is a country that “has always been obsessed with guns and violence,” said Lee.
He cast real women whose loved ones died in gun violence “on the streets of Chicago,” to appear in the film.
Amid the satire of Chi-Raq, with its rhyming verse dialogue, they make a powerful point, silently holding portraits of their dead sons and daughters.
The spotlight on Chicago’s troubles meant Chi-Raq was initially a tough sell, long before the movie opened in December in the U.S.
“There was a lot of pushback,” Lee admitted, adding with a chuckle, “Aug. 9 is going to be the 30th anniversary of She’s Gotta Have It. People not agreeing with my films is not anything new.”
Not everyone agreed with his decision to boycott the Oscars, either. Lee greets the change of topic with a low “not that again” groan.
But just as he sees Chi-Raq as a catalyst to “get people talking” about gun violence, his decision to skip the Oscars to protest the lack of diversity in Hollywood helped push the #OscarsSoWhite issue to the forefront at the Academy Awards.
“People definitely woke up,” Lee said, pointing to ongoing changes like the recent addition of non-white Academy members in leadership roles, along with an apology from organization president Cheryl Boone Isaacs for an offensive Asian joke during the Feb. 28 awards telecast.
“It starts with studio heads, mainly white males, people who have the green-light votes and we’re not there,” said Lee.
“We’re not in a position to have a say. That’s where the battle is now, I think.”
Another battle is being waged during the Republican leadership race with the rise of Donald Trump.
“I think the whole world is looking at America right now and saying these initials: WTF? Are you guys gonna let this happen?” said Lee, who has endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
He tells a story about hosting President Barack Obama at his New York home for a fundraiser during his first term and seeing the emergency briefcase that holds nuclear launch codes.
“I do not want Donald Trump to be in a position where he has the code and can start dropping nuclear bombs on people and countries,” said Lee. “That can’t happen.”
Lee admits there’s been a lot of pushback against his latest film, but says he’s used to people disagreeing with his movies