Review of Slam (2003) by Meli M — 21 May 2010

Spoken word, freedom of the soul; is that Raymond Joshua's case as he sits in a jail cell to rotten old? The movie "Slam", written and directed by Marc Levin, portrays the story of this young man Raymond Joshua imprisoned for selling. In "Slam", spoken word poet Saul Williams plays an African American teenager from Washington D.C. who becomes another statistic of the correctional institution system of the country. After his friend is shot during a drug deal, Raymond flees the scene to later be caught and sent to jail for possessing marijuana. In prison, Ray resorts to the pen and paper as he releases his frustration through spoken word. He assimilates his talent and one day uses it to stop a fight between the rival gangs of the prison. It is through his writing that he finds himself and realizes that the previous life he led is not one which he wants to continue. Writing provides expression that frees the human soul from the wrath-full vines of self-imprisonment as is seen in "Slam" through the captivating story of Raymond Joshua.

"Slam", the movie, provides a critique of today's correctional system and how society turns races against each other. In the scene when Raymond enters jail, a correctional officer lectures him and tells him that no matter if they "are as black as you are, or as light as daylight, they are not your brother" and he needs to mind his own business because every day someone ends up hurt. Then he refers to the inmate number Ray has been given, 276,000. The officer claims that the number of African American males in D.C. is exhausting, "We've exhausted the 21-year-olds, 20-year-olds, 19-year-olds. We're working on 18. We're moving down the line. By the time we cross 300,000, we'll be down to the 16 and 17-year-olds. We're wiping out our race in Washington, D.C." After leaving jail, Ray concludes that his life and that of all his other fellow beings, it is part of the government's master plan to place African Americans in the projects and have them kill each other. Because he was ignorant to the knowledge, he had let his surroundings define him. Ray follows these "set expectations"; he sells drugs in his community and hangs around with the wrong set of people. He believes that selling will be the only way for him to survive. While he was in jail, he realizes the mistake he has made with his life and lets his writing define him. He no longer wants to sell drugs; he wants to find another way to survive. He succeeds in stepping away from that lifestyle and convinces his "boys" to do the same. He does not want to let the wind of society continue to blow the debris of oppression left from the time of slavery.

The residual affects of slavery on the present day African Americans is a theme that seems to come up in "Slam". Although it is present, it finally becomes obvious when Lauren Bell (Sonja Sohn), the prison poetry teacher, relates that African Americans imprison themselves with fury and hatred for society because of their past. According to Lauren, they behave the way they do because they hate what was done to their ancestors during the slave trade. They try to get revenge, but end up believing the only way to make it in life is to sell drugs and go against the government. They believe they will not make it any other way, no matter what dreams they have. It is their slavery past that causes the African Americans to engulf themselves in rage and fury that causes them to go against authority and actually hurt themselves.

"Slam" contains many other themes similar to the one mentioned above. Another important theme that Lauren Bell brings up to the men is taking their destiny into their own hands. That is my favorite part. She talks them into seeing that it is not their fault that they are black, or of the hard-knock lives they have lived. She tells them that "selling drugs..is a part of the trap" that is holding them back and causing the cycle to continue. Since I feel that this attitude of doing and selling drugs to survive is very common in my neighborhood, I can relate to this movie. Many teens want the quick money, or many fathers want to feed their children, but they do so the wrong way. Instead of helping their families, they end up hurting them. From this film, I would like viewers, especially teenagers, to get that message. Easy money is not always the best money. Something as quick as a drug transaction could cost you a few years behind bars or even your life. It is not worth it. For anyone who feels like they need to sell drugs, seeing this film should give them a great perspective about what they are getting into. This movie does two great things, show the influence of writing on someone and demonstrate the evils and harm that living under the status quota of a race can have on a person's life.