Slam (film)
Encyclopedia
Slam is a 1998
independent film
starring Saul Williams
and Sonja Sohn. It tells the story of a young African-American man whose talent for poetry is hampered by his social background. It won the Grand Jury Prize for a Dramatic Film at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival
.
) is a young man growing up in the Southeast Washington D.C. area known as Dodge City. Despite his innate gift for poetry
and his aspiration to be a rapper
, he finds it difficult to escape the pressures of his surroundings: violence and drug dealing.
While participating in a drug deal gone bad, Ray's close friend is shot, and Ray is caught by the police and sent to prison.
When his lawyer explains the judicial system & his 'options' (or lack thereof) Ray despairs, particularly as he is being pressured to participate in a drug culture "inside" very similar to what he was a part of "outside." Ray is unwilling to take a "side", unwilling to believe that his options are limited to the choices he's being presented with.
When threatened with violence in the prison yard, he retaliates with words, speaking the truths that he's witnessed in the form of a poetic rap meant to show the other inmates how their power and energy is being diverted into petty struggles with each other, rather than being directed toward the real enemy, the system that is keeping them down.
In prison, he participates in the writing class of teacher Lauren Bell (Sonja Sohn), whom he comes to respect and admire. She advises him to pay more attention to his talents.
When Ray is unexpectedly released on bail for a few days prior to his court date by an incarcerated drug dealer whom Ray had inspired with his revolutionary ideas. Ray is able to convince his friends, and their Dodge City crew, not to retaliate with more violence for the shooting - to break the cycle instead. He explains that the "projects" where they all live and die are a government experiment and that continuing to kill each other is exactly what those who set up the experiment want them to be doing.
On the outside, he also reunites with Bell, and is welcomed into her circle of friends at a poetry reading at her home. They wind up spending the night together despite her reservations about the future, as he asks her "only for now". The next day, she urges him to settle his legal troubles by agreeing to serve a year or two of time, rather than fighting the charges and potentially being put away for much, much longer.
They quarrel, because Ray feels that Bell doesn't understand his situation. He leaves, but shows up that night at a poetry slam event in D.C. that Bell had invited him to, just in time to see her perform an extremely powerful and empathetic piece that was clearly written for him. When the crowd demands an encore, she invites Ray onto the stage to perform instead, and he delivers an impromptu dramatic poem - scrawled as he crossed the city on public transit, on his way to the slam - an emotional piece about black males and the criminal justice system. When the crowd demands an encore, Ray tells Lauren he needs to get some air, then leaves again.
He wanders the streets until he is drawn to the Washington Monument
- which seems to symbolize all that he is up against.
. It peaked at 84 on the Billboard 200
and 24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
.
1998 in film
-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
starring Saul Williams
Saul Williams
Saul Stacey Williams is an American poet, writer, actor and musician known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop and for his leading role in the 1998 independent film Slam.-Biography:...
and Sonja Sohn. It tells the story of a young African-American man whose talent for poetry is hampered by his social background. It won the Grand Jury Prize for a Dramatic Film at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
.
Synopsis
Raymond Joshua (played by Saul WilliamsSaul Williams
Saul Stacey Williams is an American poet, writer, actor and musician known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop and for his leading role in the 1998 independent film Slam.-Biography:...
) is a young man growing up in the Southeast Washington D.C. area known as Dodge City. Despite his innate gift for poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and his aspiration to be a rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, he finds it difficult to escape the pressures of his surroundings: violence and drug dealing.
While participating in a drug deal gone bad, Ray's close friend is shot, and Ray is caught by the police and sent to prison.
When his lawyer explains the judicial system & his 'options' (or lack thereof) Ray despairs, particularly as he is being pressured to participate in a drug culture "inside" very similar to what he was a part of "outside." Ray is unwilling to take a "side", unwilling to believe that his options are limited to the choices he's being presented with.
When threatened with violence in the prison yard, he retaliates with words, speaking the truths that he's witnessed in the form of a poetic rap meant to show the other inmates how their power and energy is being diverted into petty struggles with each other, rather than being directed toward the real enemy, the system that is keeping them down.
In prison, he participates in the writing class of teacher Lauren Bell (Sonja Sohn), whom he comes to respect and admire. She advises him to pay more attention to his talents.
When Ray is unexpectedly released on bail for a few days prior to his court date by an incarcerated drug dealer whom Ray had inspired with his revolutionary ideas. Ray is able to convince his friends, and their Dodge City crew, not to retaliate with more violence for the shooting - to break the cycle instead. He explains that the "projects" where they all live and die are a government experiment and that continuing to kill each other is exactly what those who set up the experiment want them to be doing.
On the outside, he also reunites with Bell, and is welcomed into her circle of friends at a poetry reading at her home. They wind up spending the night together despite her reservations about the future, as he asks her "only for now". The next day, she urges him to settle his legal troubles by agreeing to serve a year or two of time, rather than fighting the charges and potentially being put away for much, much longer.
They quarrel, because Ray feels that Bell doesn't understand his situation. He leaves, but shows up that night at a poetry slam event in D.C. that Bell had invited him to, just in time to see her perform an extremely powerful and empathetic piece that was clearly written for him. When the crowd demands an encore, she invites Ray onto the stage to perform instead, and he delivers an impromptu dramatic poem - scrawled as he crossed the city on public transit, on his way to the slam - an emotional piece about black males and the criminal justice system. When the crowd demands an encore, Ray tells Lauren he needs to get some air, then leaves again.
He wanders the streets until he is drawn to the Washington Monument
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
- which seems to symbolize all that he is up against.
Soundtrack
A soundtrack containing hip hop music was released on October 13, 1998 by Epic RecordsEpic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. It peaked at 84 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and 24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
.