Written and Directed by Theodore Witcher
"Black people in love. That's a beautiful thing." -Shadow Henderson
from the film “Mo’ Better Blues” (1990)
The sight of African-Americans in love is indeed a beautiful thing. And certainly, dear readers, you do also know that the sight of anyone in love is a beautiful sight to my eyes, whether in the real world or in the celluloid dreams of the cinema. Unfortunately, the sight of African-Americans in love in the movies is a profoundly disappointing rarity indeed. Dear readers, I want you to sit and think for a few moments about all of the movies you have seen within your lives and just count how many, out of the myriad of love stories released, featured African-American characters front and center, driving the story and the romance. I would dare you to think of ten right off the bat.
The lucratively successful works of Tyler Perry (sorry, not a fan) aside, as he is essentially a one-man industry, Hollywood’s interest in the love lives and experiences of African-Americans has been inexcusable. For me, two films in particular, that explored the relationships of black people in love which resonated with me deeply occurred within the above referenced “Mo’ Better Blues” from Writer/Producer/Director Spike Lee and even more surprisingly, within Writer/Director Cameron Crowe’s seminal “Jerry Maguire” (1996). Where the former depicted a musician’s devotion to his craft at the expense of the relationships around him, the latter film’s romance between football player Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr. in his finest performance to date) and his rock solid marital partner Marcy Tidwell (the excellent Regina King), completely informed and supported the romance between the titular Maguire (Tom Cruise) and his loyal assistant Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger), while also existing as a beautifully truthful and honestly felt love story in its own right. Aside from those two provocative stories, what else has there been? Not terribly much.
For this new installment of “Savage Cinema’s Buried Treasure,” I am so excited to point you to a strong feature that understands exactly the tentative nature of falling in love, the games we play with each other that serve to protect our fragile hearts but sadly, undercuts our deepest desires. And yes, it is a film that also happens to display a wonderful African-American cast, including two leading actors who absolutely, positively undeniably could not be more photogenic, appealing, attractive and more in harmony with each other as their pairing is so perfect. The film is “love jones,” the first and, to date, only feature from filmmaker Theodore Witcher. Within the African-American community, “love jones” has rightfully attained a celebrated status as a modern romance classic and several publications from Essence to The Root have also recently written tributes and updates in celebration of the film’s 15th anniversary. If you have seen “love jones,” I enthusiastically suggest that it is time for a revisiting. Yet, if you have never seen this film, the time for you to become acquainted is long overdue and I guarantee it will be more than worth the wait. I have not seen this film since I first saw it perhaps 14 years ago and for whatever mystical reasons why the cinematic fates decided that it was time for me to reunite with this remarkable film. I am forever in their debt.
“love jones” opens with a sequence that suggests a grittier version of Woody Allen's classic opening montage to "Manhattan" (1979). For "love jones," the setting is urban Chicago. The imagery, like "Manhattan," is presented in startling black and white cinematography. Yet, instead of the Gershwin scored elegance of New York, we are given glorious, stark images from the ghettos and the inner cities that to my eye, recalled images from the early 1970s.
From here, "love jones" switches to color and instantly establishes a slow, smoky, romantic and even erotic mood as we are introduced to young photographer Nina Moseley (the jaw droppingly stunning Nia Long), deep in the throes of melancholy heartbreak after an engagement has sadly ended. To make matters even worse, Nina is also nursing the wounds of being recently fired from her photo assistant job. Alongside her frisky and sassy best friend Josie Nichols (Lisa Nicole Carson), Nina ventures out one evening to cool her blues at The Sanctuary, an upscale nightclub specializing in jazz music and spoken word poetry performances.
On this same fateful evening, writer/poet and budding novelist Darius Lovehall (the dashingly charismatic Larenz Tate) is in attendance with his small circle of friends. We are immediately introduced to the not quite happily married Savon Garrison (Isaiah Washington), the romantically cynical and comically “smoove like buttah” cad Hollywood (an excellent Bill Bellamy), Eddie Coles (Leonard Roberts), host at The Sanctuary and record storeowner and romantically levelheaded Shelia (Bernadette Speakes). Romantic lightning strikes at the nightclub bar, where Darius and Nina first meet. So powerfully enraptured by the sight of Nina, Darius quickly performs an impromptu and erotically charged poem for her benefit, hoping that mere words will have her completely succumb to his charms. Not entirely…but Nina is indeed intrigued.
Darius begins his pursuit of Nina, eventually convinces her to a first date at the end of which they have sex. From this point, the love story of Darius Lovehall and Nina Moseley grows more emotionally complex as they each experience the differences, changes and consequences of their romantic actions with each other and most importantly, within themselves.
For all intents and purposes in regards to the actual plot, there is not that much in “love jones” that will surprise you, especially if you happen to be particularly well versed in the genre of romantic comedies and movie love stories. All of the standard beats of the genre are present from the functions of the supporting characters to the stages of Darius and Nina’s romance. Yet, any sense of familiarity is not subjected to becoming a flaw in any conceivable fashion as “love jones” is not a film necessarily about plot but a film about people and behavior. Since this is a film featuring a predominantly African American cast, “love jones” is actually an uncompromisingly fearless film to my eyes as it was released during a period where African American themed films were stagnated in the violent world of cops, killers, and drug dealers left over from Mario Van Peebles' "New Jack City" (1991). In “love jones,” there is absolutely no violence. There are also no gangs and aside from occasional glasses of wine or bottles of beer, there is no narcotic usage whatsoever.
“love jones” is a film which gave audiences a look into part of the African American community and experience barely seen on film--or at least outside of Spike Lee's unapologetically artistic oeuvre and outlook. In some ways, “love jones” could be viewed as a sort of companion piece to Lee’s “Mo’ Better Blues,” as “love jones” focuses its sights upon a slightly younger version of the people who attended a similar artistic venue. In “love jones,” Witcher presents to us, with supreme assistance from Ernest Holzman’s sophisticated cinematography and legendary jazz bassist Darryl Jones’ evocative score, an afro-centric, post-collegiate, urban professional yet almost bohemian world. It feels like the visual representation of the imagery and overall vibe presented in classic hip hop albums by A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul fused with the timeless and impressionistic jazz of Charlie Parker and "Kind Of Blue" era Miles Davis. It is a film that celebrates all that is vintage as the Chicago of “love jones” is a world of old school record stores and the warmth of vinyl, the joy of discovery inherent in used bookstores, the technique of traditional photographic film and of course, the archaic art and artistry of poetry.
While “love jones” is an unabashedly sexy film, it is most importantly a film that celebrates old school romance. In fact, one of the film’s most sexually charge sequences is when Darius and Nina share an apartment from different rooms and they desperately try to not engage in sex. This is a film that explores how attraction is built through an individual’s connections through art, literature, photography, music and most of all, words.
“Poetry is the possibility of language,” nightclub host Eddie intones during the film and “love jones” is abound with intelligent, heartfelt, luxurious dialogue that completely illuminates all of the characters, their surroundings and their respective stories. Language is a conduit binding one character to each other, all the while building an elevation of the connection between each person to their individual selves. There is one great sequence in particular where Darius and Hollywood engage in an antagonistic verbal duel regarding a sexual transgression. It is simultaneously hilarious and venomous, filled with spitefulness, hurt and a striking amount of self-awareness.
Yet, beyond individual moments within the film, the language illustrates exactly why the love story of Darius and Nina resonated so powerfully with me. Yes, Nia and Darius are indeed attracted to each other physically (and PLEASE, how could they not be?!) but we are witnessing an attraction, sexuality and building love through two like minded people who become more attracted to each other through their respective curiosity and admiration for each other’s intelligence, articulation and world-view.
As previously stated, since “love jones” adheres to the linear structure of the modern romantic film genre, we are given the standard tug of war between love and sex as well as promiscuity and commitment, this film goes several emotional steps deeper. The love story of Darius and Nina contains all of those aforementioned elements but mostly, it is a story where the tug of war exists between these two characters’ individual pasts and potential emotional and therefore adult futures. “love jones” is a film about evolution. It is a film about growing up.
Honestly, dear readers, pleas take some time and think abut all of the love stories that are released from year to year and how, throughout all of the breaking up, making up, getting together and falling apart only to find each other again in the final reel, how very little the characters ever change emotionally. And furthermore, how painfully immature the entire proceedings have been as well. I can say that I have known and still know actual small children and teenagers in the real world who are more emotionally mature than the characters that typically populate these so-called “adult” love stories. That is a tremendous reason why a film like “love jones” should be celebrated and also why the legacy of this film has rightfully endured.
As previously stated Witcher utilizes all of the conventions of the genre yet he circumvents all of those conventions through the deceptively simple act of creating rich, realistic characters living in a realistic world and behaving in a realistic way. Darius Lovehall and Nina Moseley are young adults living young adult lives but what we are witnessing is essentially their very first adult relationship (despite Nina’s past at being previously engaged) and we are completely along for the ride in its growth and development. I really love how the romance between Darius and Nina possesses a fragility from the start, as if you already know about the looming pitfalls but you want to get swept away in the bittersweetness regardless. We understand their every motivation and therefore, every crucial mistake each of them makes in regards to how they pursue each other. We see precisely the games men and women play with themselves and each other to protect themselves emotionally yet ultimately, the games only serve to hurt and confuse each other more than if they were just honest in the first place. Through Darius and Nina, we understand even more about the consequences and emotional realities of sex and what those consequences mean as they fall in love. Moreso, you can see exactly where Darius and Nina make the wrong moves with each other. It simply aches and you wish that you could somehow reach inside the film and stop them from ruining what is obviously the best thing for both of them.
At different points in the film both Darius and Nina dismissively utter the phrase "We just kickin' it," in response to their respective friends when they are each inquired as to the seriousness of their coupling. It is a laissez faire attitude, which only serves as a shield to protect themselves from the world of romantic pain. There was a terrific moment where Savon chides Darius after he has just expressed that Nina just may be “the one.” Like a flash of lightning, Darius deflects it with poetic male bravado only to the walk away and lick his wounds in solitude. Witcher gives us an emotional landscape where people fear even expressing their truest feelings to the ones who love them the most, so they all hide behind the art they love most, serving as more protective shields from crippling emotional disappointments.
Even in the conclusion of the film, which I will not reveal here of course, we not only see what each of them has learned about love and their relationship with love, but how they have each learned and how they will respectively move forward within their lives. It is a relationship that has depth and meaning that goes far beyond the film’s one sheet poster, unlike most cinematic love stories. You want them to be together but you also wish for their respective happiness as they grow for these are characters that truly deserve happiness and our affection for them is deeply earned.
Every performance in the film is pitch perfect. Larenz Tate possesses a sharp, cocky swagger combined with a refreshing intellectual sensitivity. He is much less Lothario and more cut from the boyishly romantic cloth of Romeo. As Nina, Nia Long is more grounded and jaded than the “lost in the clouds” poetic nature of Darius but this is a film where courtship arrives in the form of a long searched for Isley Brothers CD and even she cannot resist the gesture for too long.
Theodore Witcher’s “love jones” is a film of allure and erotic desire but beautifully, it is a story that makes anyone who watches think about the loves of their past and present lives. The loves that could have been, the loves that almost were and above all else the powerful emotions that linger and can still overtake you.
And to think Witcher achieved such a legacy with only one film. Such a shame he has not made any more films since. In a March 2012 interview with the publication The Root, Witcher explained matter of factly, “I intended to have a long list of credits, but I couldn’t get another movie. There has to be something that you want to do that a studio wants to pay for. I was never able to sync that up. I wanted to do ambitious films with more black people. You don’t get to do that.” Sadly, Witcher now refers to his status as a filmmaker as being “semi-retired.”
This painful reality of the 21st century movie business continues to trouble me. While films great and awful will continue to be made year in and year out, the dwindling level of risk taking when it comes to banking upon filmmakers with unique personal creative visions disturbs me tremendously. When everything becomes dumbed down to create broad mass appeal solely in pursuit of the dollar and any artistic intent is an afterthought at best, the purity of the art and artistry of the cinema becomes lost. This goes for all filmmakers from all walks of life of course. But, in the case of Theodore Witcher and African American filmmakers, this reality increasingly creates a world where potentially life altering and supremely entertaining works would never be created at all. At the very least, Witcher was able to create “love jones;’ and are able to rejoice in its presence time and again. And somehow, the beauteous bittersweetness of “love jones” being Witcher’s one and only film seems to be profoundly fitting.
To each and every one of you, I cannot recommend that you celebrate this film’s 15 anniversary enthusiastically enough but I do hope that this "Buried Treasure" feature gives you an emphatic push in the right direction.
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