Film: Medicine for Melancholy

Film: Medicine for Melancholy

I discovered this on the Afro Punk site in a discussion entitled, "I want my BLACK GIRL comes up movie DAMMIT!". lol

It's true. Where are all the quirky, black, female lead roles? I'm not talking about those coon flicks Tyler Perry films where the woman is scorned by a man, Madea comes to the rescue, followed by some old lady's words of wisdom and a gospel solo...it's all the same. No range. The fact of the matter is that we're still "supporting" actresses or "ghetto birds" (there are a FEW exceptions) for the most part. People still don't see black women as something other than Kraynisha from Crenshaw...or some shit.

"Medicine for Melancholy" looks really promising, though. It's a love story with the beautiful city of San Francisco as its backdrop. It gets kudos for the Ray Bradbury reference in its title. The film also touches on societal issues and a deterioration of rich culture that gives SF that mystic, soulful vibe. Therefore, it distinguishes itself from the usual "chick flick" by adding substantial topics of culture, class, and society that quite possibly could be relevant to our own quirky, afropunk-y, alternative lives.

The film is directed by Barry Jenkins and stars Wyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins (who looks so gorgeous, btw.) The film is playing in selected theatres in February!

For more info:
Medicine for Melancholy @ myspace