I always get As and Bs in all my classes. By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. She lives with her struggling working-class parents and her two younger brothers. Many of the best black American filmmakers of recent timesincluding Julie Dash, Zeinabu irene Davis, Wendell B. Harris, Jr., and Leslie Harrisburst into the cinemasphere with a first film of startling originality and have been denied the chance to make a second feature ever since. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. But "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T." At the time, I was too young to watch a film about a smack-talking 17-year-old in the hood who conceals her pregnancy from her parents. Chantels knowledge is inseparable from power, as seen in school scenes or another sequence, both comedic and painful, in which she and two female friends discuss sexual matters with a misguided, or, rather, unguided confidence that reflects hearsay rather than education; it reflects all that they arent being told by parents or teachers or the media. She dreams of medical school, a family, and an escape from the generational poverty and street-corner life her friends seem to have accepted as their lot. But when the ad world turned out not to be her poison of preference, she quit with another goal in mind. IMDb A womans body still serves as a fearful and mysterious excavation to such an extent that Harris didnt even have to go outside to find her images of "ghetto living" and black humor in all senses of the word. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Installed by the Revive Ad Server. , Writers Be the first to contribute! They argue over whether condoms are necessary and how to properly take birth control pills. Yo, when Im with my friends, I act like it dont matter, cuz it dont! Chantels parents work long hoursher mothers on the day shift, her father on the night shiftso shes responsible for getting her brothers up and off to school in the morning. Used by Cloudflare to route user traffic for this Site. "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T." - the writing and directorial debut of up-and-coming black woman filmmaker Leslie Harris - is a sharp, sassy blend of comedy and drama in the tradition of Spike Lee, that speaks with a fresh new voice all its own. She dreams of medical school, a family, and an escape from the generational poverty and street-corner life her friends seem to have accepted as their lot. But personal and sexual challenges confront Chantel on her way to fulfilling these dreams. According to Harris, despite the success of Black directors such as Spike Lee and John Singleton, the film industry has been hostile to Black women, and she could not arrange funding for any other projects. And this story of a gutsy black girl living in Brooklyn would soon open the door for other films of its kind and caliber; "Crooklyn" (1994, Zelda Harris), "Our Song" (2000, Kerry Washington), "Akeelah and the Bee" (2006, Keke Palmer), "Pariah" (2011, Adepero Oduye) and the highly anticipated ". The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Used by Permission of Rushtown Music Publishing Co. [10], Positive reviews praised Ariyan Johnson's performance as Chantel, with Hal Hinson of The Washington Post stating she "seizes the camera's attention like no other performer since John Travolta strutted into Saturday Night Fever. , Actors [3], On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 49 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. New Releases. After college, she came to New York to work for a high-powered ad agency that was looking for more "people of color" (as she diplomatically phrased it). Chantel Mitchell, a hip, articulate, black high-school girl in Brooklyn, is determined not to become "just another girl on the IRT" (the IRT is one of NYC's subway lines). Please consider upgrading to a Pro accountfor less than a couple bucks a month, youll get cool additional features like all-time and annual stats pages (example), the ability to select (and filter by) your favorite streaming services, and no ads! was released on VHS in October 1993, and on DVD on May 21, 2002. So what would "Just Another Girl in the I.R.T." [22], "Leslie Harris: 'You just can't get a film financed with a black woman lead', "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. [4], The film was shot entirely in New York City. It's most definitely a must watch. Oldie but Goodie , Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2000. Her "all is lost" moment isnt really a loss. A feminist coming-of-age tale that also boasts a fantastic hip hop soundtrack, but also investigates class, gender roles, and race in a thoughtful manner. (Americans, after all, love a winner.) Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. "[6] Because Harris "wanted to avoid the clichd drug obsession accompanying male violence of most 'street' films," she ran into resistance from potential producers and financiers. [1] The film opened in select cities on February 26, 1993,[6] expanding to a wide release on March 19. : The film premiered at the 1992 Toronto International Film Festival and later screened at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize. Chantels fourth wall breaks were incredibly refreshing for a movie like this that was released when it was. [17][5] Jim McKay's 2000 film Our Song, a coming-of-age film starring Kerry Washington, was inspired by I.R.T. In lieu of a title card saying The End, Harris places one with the title of the film and an epigram that she signs in her own name: A Film Hollywood Dared Not Do. It turns out that even the independent-film community dared not do another film like it. : in the film's title stand for "Interborough Rapid Transit", which refers to a number of New York City's subway systems. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. For her, the pubescent girl-woman is the most edgy and clear place to get at he truth of "coming of age." Yet weve always had to fight harder to get them made: Harris completed this film with minimal resources, an issue thats all too familiar even for black filmmakers today. Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (frames per second) as the moniker for her Brooklyn-based production company because thats what shes interested in truth, without a lot of frills or confusion. Fortunately, teen births have declined in recent years, but Generation Z is consumed by a number of issues, including gender identity, social media, suicide, and school shootings, just to name a few. Much to the chagrin of her teachers, she wants to graduate early in order to get into college as soon as possible. Was really taken by this, its passion and earnestness and lack of interest in being palatable or preachy for white audiences; a wonderful and under-appreciated film with a very impressive central performance from Ariyan Johnson. did. Theres much to marvel at in the film: its assured tone, its vibrant depiction of early 90s Brooklyn, the trenchant script which handles notions of teen pregnancy with care, but my kind keeps coming back to Johnsons performance. See production, box office & company info. Rashawn, Amiri the experience is universal. I got the message loud and clear: no babies, at least not anytime soon. Elated: The power that Derren Brown wields over his audience is astonishing. Original Soundtrack (Cassette - ERG #89272) . "MIRAMAX" and the "Miramax" logo are the registered trademarks, trademarks and service marks of Miramax, LLC. Harris tells the happy ending. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. "We didnt need a helicopter." She wants to graduate a year early and get to college (and leave the neighborhood) all the faster; she also wants a social life, and struggles against her wary and protective parents for a bit of freedom. In the span of just a few minutes, Harris evokes the myriad complexities of teen-age life, and of the specifics of Chantels own life and states of mind. They didn't get that baby outta that dumpster soon enough. Just Another Girl Lyrics [Verse 1] Step out into the Indian dust I can feel the cracks in my spirit, they're starting to bust Drive by your house, nobody's home I'm tryin' to tell myself that I'm. The films artistry opens new paths that the industry at large, both mainstream and independent, thought best to leave unpursued. [Unreleased] - Original Soundtrack on AllMusic. Chantel Mitchell is an African-American, 17-year-old high school junior who lives in Brooklyn, New York. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Chantel is hell-bent on escaping a cycle of poverty in the projects, and quickly makes it clear that she cannot be contained; not by her teachers, her parents, boys, or the world. Synopsis. I wish a few side characters were more fleshed out or loose ends tied up but its her story not theirs so it works. Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2022, This is my favorite movie be prepared to laugh to smile and to cry, Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2022. A Whiskey Makers Exploration of Craft Part 1. Chantel herself works part-time at a food store (the scenes were filmed at the famous Zabars), and, noting the absurd luxuries that a high-handed and contemptuous white woman takes for granted, she accepts no guff from this customer and risks her job to push back at her. [8] Funds came from grants through organizations such as the American Film Institute, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Women Make Movies. Chantel looks around here and decides shes not going out broke and fighting like her folks. You can follow her blog, GirlTyler.com and keep up with her moves on Twitter, @sheistyler. Installed by Cloudflare. The film follows Chantel, a Black teenager li. Courtesy of Philadelphia International/Columbia Records, If anyone comes across this cd or cassette, pass it on. In effect, Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. is a documentary of subjectivity, an outward view of the inner life of a young black womanof a person who, by the sheer fact of those three descriptors, is subjected to relations of power and of control, and faces conflicts of a political nature in the course of her daily life. Im still trying to find that Angie Stone song that was in the background when she told dude about the pregnancy on the bridge by the water. Thanks anyway :)) Its a shame that theres no official full versions of such great songs!! Lacking a proper sex education, Chantel ends up pregnant and must contend with her future. More at Just 17, you know what I mean precocious as hell, sharp as a tack, weekend job, laundry-room lover. was given a digital restoration in 4K and was shown on the 2022 Sundance Film Festivals digital platform. Michael Moore (Roger and Me) added to the kitty. Our girls can slay fantasy and reality when given opportunities to occupy rooms where they are often left out of the conversation. Its as if you cant have a central character whos not good at all, and from my experience I think people are a combination of bad and good.". A gem of a film brimming with simple beauty and bold style particularly by lead actress Ariyan A. Johnson and writer/director Leslie Harris. , MPAA rating Chantel serves as mediator between her story and the audience, explaining what this all means as shes doing it, adding an ironic silent narrative on the fallout between what she says shes doing and what the audience sees her doing. [9], Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. This review may contain spoilers. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. Cancel anytime. Her focus is readjusted and her path realigned. [Unreleased] - Original Soundtrack on AllMusic - 1993 AllMusic. I love that it goes into the dumb thought teens have on preventing pregnancy. The actors themselves are clearly inexperienced, but the director apparently didn't know how to work with them to pick up the pace, and probably didn't have the budget to do more than one or two takes. Novelist Terry McMillan read the script and mailed out money after a brief phone call. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The film follows Chantel, a Black teenager living in the New York City projects. I watched it when I was younger and it was hard to find now that I'm an adult, but I found it and glad I did. Ariyan A. Johnson earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress.[3]. "And we were actually, like, the kind of smart kids at school. The actress playing the main character had some charisma, but otherwise the acting is really terrible, even for an indy. Chantel is very smart, although her sharp tongue, abundant ego, and occasional naivete undermine her efforts. Written by Mark Gillette, Anthony Allen, Gary Stanton, Gary Rinaldo James Boxley, Robert Taylor and Keith Boxley. If you havent seen this film, I dont want to give away the ending, but I will tell you, Harris couldve easily allowed Chantels character to fall flat by giving in to preexisting stereotypes about unwed black mothers. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. There is a good deal of hand-held camera snaking past the punch bowl or around the playground wall to catch Chantel and her friends unaware. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, Help Locate An Already Identified Song/Album/Artis. I watched them all growing up; I even laughed and cried at them inspired by the fate of the protagonist but also feeling extremely invisible, because these stories were not mine. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. An arrogant Brooklyn teen grapples with an unwanted pregnancy. She knows exactly what she wants, when she wants it, and how she plans to get it not once entertaining the idea of anything getting in her way. has been praised as a pioneering film about Black Americans, in particular a film directed by a Black woman, and is regularly screened at film festivals. Chantels parents fight over money and struggle bitterly for it; her mother is denied a long-awaited promotion. Chantels self-awareness doesnt fade with a baby; if anything, its heightened. : The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Truth of `` coming of age. it ; her mother is denied a long-awaited promotion rest of the.... Detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate to. Her, the kind of smart kids at school terrible, even for indy! 9, 2000 cookie is used to understand how visitors interact with the website Festivals digital platform chagrin. 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