THE HOUSE THAT JIMMIE BUILT自己家園自己建
A struggle to reclaim a city’s identity in The Last Black Man in San Francisco.《何處是吾家》劇組挖空心思，在美國三藩市探根尋源。撰：文
There’s a saying that the only constant in life is change. But such change forms the basis of Jimmie Fails’ lifelong grievance. Fails plays a fictionalised version of himself in The Last Black Man in San Francisco, written in partnership with childhood friend Joe Talbot.
The film centres around Jimmie’s obsession with his childhood home, built by his grandfather, Jimmie senior. Though it has long since been leased to other tenants, Jimmie continues to visit the house, preening the garden and repainting its exteriors. And when a family feud results in the current tenants leaving, Jimmie and his friend Mont ( Jonathan Majors) jump at the opportunity to reclaim and restore the house that was once home.
The slow-burning film is a homage to the city of San Francisco. But it’s also a damning criticism of the waves of gentrification that have swept through the city, stripping it of its essence and authenticity. A dramatic score by Emile
Mosseri echoes the narrative, building to a crescendo as key events unfold and adding emotional depth as realisations are reached.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco’s cast – like its creators – are native San Franciscans, with deep ties to the subject matter. Fails plays himself and, in a fleeting appearance, his mother plays herself, too. Mont’s grandfather is played by Danny Glover – a notable civil rights advocate in San Francisco during the 1960s.
Towards the end of the film, Fails utters the line, ‘People aren’t just one thing’. Neither is The Last Black Man in San Francisco – it’s both comedic and dramatic, romantic and tragic. It’s a love letter, but it’s also a scathing criticism of the self-interest that plagues society.
Throughout The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Fails continues his physical and metaphorical search for his childhood home. But given that the city of his youth no longer exists in the way he remembers, Fails is left wondering if ‘home’ is really where he belongs.
俗語有云：變「 幻原是永。恆」 但世事的無常變，化 卻令 Jimmie Fails 有個無法的。放下 執念 他與兒時好友Joe Talbot合作編寫了《何處是吾家》，並親自出演 Jimmie 一角。
電影圍繞 Jimmie 對童年故居的牽掛與留戀，這間由其祖父「老 Jimmie」親手建造的大宅雖然一直由別人租住，他卻不時造訪，幫忙整理花園，為外牆髹漆翻新。當他發現現任租客因為家庭糾紛而遷走，便把握機會與好友 Mont（Jonathan Majors飾）計劃重奪房舍，重建家園。
這部情節推進逐漸細膩的電影就，好比一封致三藩市的情書，同時又毫不掩飾批地 判席捲全城的中產化浪潮，致導各處社失區 去原有的面貌和特色。Emile Mosseri 的動人配樂與故事互相，呼應 隨著劇情主線的發展漸漸推向高潮；當真相被揭，的露後 音樂 感染力更加重觀眾的。思緒
《何處是吾家》的演員和創作人都是土生土長的三藩市，人 與電影主題有深厚淵源。除了Jimmie 親自演繹主角外，其母亦客串演回自己， Mont 的祖父則由 Danny Glover 飾，演 他於1960 年代曾積極為三藩市爭民。黑人 取公 權利
在影片尾聲， Jimmie 吐出一句︰「世上
沒有一式一樣的。人 」《何處是吾家》亦如是，兼備喜劇和戲劇元素，浪漫又略帶傷感。劇此 洋溢對這個城市的情意，同時亦對禍害社的會 自私自利心態嚴加鞭撻。
無論在實際或象徵意義上， Jimmie 都在電影中努力尋回童年故居和以往的歸屬感，但當記憶中的兒時家園已今非昔比，他不禁疑惑，到底何處才是吾心歸處？