directed by John Coney
If you need a film that will cheer you up on this gloomy Monday, then search no more. Let’s jump into a spaceship and listen to some good jazz, shall we? And I mean – literally. Today, I’d like to recommend you a sci-fi film from the 70s, which blew my mind and made me have the time of my life. In this one, we’re following Sun Ra (played by himself), who lands on some mysterious planet together with his band the Arkestra. Discovering the planet, he feels like it’s a way better place to be in and he comes up with an idea to bring African Americans to settle there. That is why Sun Ra flies with his spaceship to Oakland and starts encouraging young black-skinned people to join him. And what’s a better way to unite people than through music? That’s it! If you’re frowning right now while reading my post, then let me assure you – you’re not alone. When I played this film, I was feeling like in a hidden camera and waiting for someone to jump out to say it’s all a big joke. Well, it’s not. It’s an actual film of 85 minutes, which may really confuse you, but at some point, if you trust it enough, you may start enjoying the atmosphere a lot. As I mentioned before, it’s a sci-fi production, but a lot of people seem to consider it as a semi-documentary since Sun Ra was an actual person, a real artist, who was not only a talented jazz musician, but also a performer. He loved experimenting with music and visuals, and was a true icon of the African American music stage. You have a chance to see a film being a representative of Afrofuturism, which as you might be guessing, is focused on exploring the culture of Africans through technology, science and philosophy. For a long time in history, black-skinned actors weren’t taken into consideration while making films in many countries. And if so, their roles weren’t significant or anyhow valuable, quite the opposite. That is why they needed to create their own art to promote and spread their culture. Nowadays, we’re fighting for more equality, so we may see very different representatives in world wide cinema. Still, such cultural gems are definitely worth seeing, because they let us fully immerse in realities that are unknown to us. Personally, I love such experiences. This production was an awesome adventure not only because I’m a fan of jazz, but also because it’s so abstract and full of positive vibes, that there’s no way you won’t be enjoying yourself at the end of it. I’m not saying you’ll be fully aware of what’s happening – because neither was I – but it’ll make you smile for sure and that’s already a plus.
My rating: 7/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 