September 5, 2011
Crucial Cinema: dedicated to Unique and Kofie; to Jacob Chambers also, who provided the music for the soundtrack.
Flesh and Blood had its recent première at the Vue in Blackbird Leys. This was a fitting venue, as the two main stars are residents of the estate. The outdoor scenes were also shot there.
Unique plays Maria, older sister to Mark, played by Kofie. It is her dilemma that is the crux of the film. She becomes alarmed on overhearing a mobile phone conversation between her brother and a friend. Following this, she finds a knife in his jacket pocket. She thinks, then replaces the knife. Enter the dilemma: does she say something to someone, or keep her mouth shut? Deciding to tell her mother, she is then blocked from doing this by familial bickerings and lack of time. Subsequently he uses the knife, the film ending with his 'family' making the journey to the place where he is imprisoned.
Maria was his lighthouse, trying to shine where it was needed. It is her reminiscences at the beginning of the film which ranks for me as one of the paramount scenes. It made me eager to watch; there had to be more good cinema to come after this perfect opener.
Mark was like all of us as boys, not appreciating, till later, the advice of our older sisters. I would like to see a part two, if only to see how their relationship develops. To see whether he begins to accept the guidance from his lighthouse.
In the moving role as mother to the siblings was Christine Chambers, who also co-produced the film. It is she and also Marsha Jackson (C.D.I.) who are doing the pioneering youth work on the Blackbird Leys estate.
A crucial short film of youth and imprisonment; the loneliness of all those involved. I really think this film has the potential to develop into a mini-series. We should at least get the chance to see its sequel. To see the progression of the story, alongside the developing skills of these two young people.
In this life of hard lessons, Mark took some raw classes behind bars. His mother and sister also served a sentence, no wall in sight.