WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
It’s the ever-constant battle for identity. We strive day in and day out to determine exactly who we are and the place in this life we might occupy, to discover the purpose, the intent, the worth of ourselves as human beings, both for the sake of our own individual goals, but also ideally for society at large. Yet, even when having found what we believe is a solace in who we’ve defined ourselves to be, why is it then that the ghosts of the past and now present rear up and remind us that for some, peace is sadly an elusive beast. Having been pulled over for undisclosed reasons, Justin (Philip Smithey) experiences this belittling mentality.
Having to move on with this evening out with girlfriend Christina (Elisabeth Ferrara) in the wake of said incident, it becomes an immediate sticking point in his mind as to why he now feels a sense of threat and the weight of judgement upon him as an African-American male. While their date commences even-tempered enough, Justin’s focus is skewed, and soon Christina makes attempts to understand what he’s going through. Soon, their interactions turns volatile as she inadvertently drives the nails of his convictions, anger, frustration, and notions of what he feels are attacks against him deeper. Taking an Uber home alone in his unsettled state of mind, the driver Raul (Danny Trejo) speaks unexpected wisdom to Justin as he desperately tries to reconcile the evening’s events.
Next, my Mind:
It’s a direct, dramatic, relevant, impactful, socially-conscious, and sobering statement about the concepts of race and gender in a contemporary world still greatly haunted by the specters of its past wrongs that’s found in this 12-minute indie short film effort marking the directorial debut of novelist/youth advocate Jim St. Germain, who also co-wrote and co-executive produced the film along with co-writer/co-director/co-executive producer/Emmy-award winner Adam Margolis and co-writer/producer/editor James Kicklighter and co-writer/producer Ari Rutenberg. For this critic, there is never an impression of “been there, done this” when it comes to any filmmaker bringing to light the kinds of necessary and intentionally evocative and, most likely for some, provocative thematic explorations covering ideas involving gender equality and race relations because quite frankly, it’s needed and should be driven home until perhaps we actually get the benefit of witnessing tangible change in the cultural atmosphere in this country, much less the rest of the world.
How we’ve allowed the highly damaging core essence of racism to reach the level it has, as is illustrated not only in the film’s opening sequence and beyond, but also in the straight-up statement of fact on the screen after the finale which gives the title its punch, is something that continues to baffle me, the hate, fear, anger, and ultimately violence it breeds just tearing apart the fabric of any ability to treat one another as people, regardless of race, color, creed, sex, or religion. While it feels more that, for the context of this narrative, the subject of inequality towards women is an underlying idea, it is still given credence through Christina’s character, and bears just as much overall importance to the grander scheme of events as does the primary bend towards Justin’s bout with his own sense of identity and how it is seen being a part of the minority. It all brings up further examination and scrutiny about perception vs. interpretation vs. personal experience and being able to take ownership of it while embracing our faults and accepting the reality of who we are while not allowing said outside factors dog us to the point of doubt.
We’re not perfect, no one is, and to drive that point home is deftly executed here as the narrative progresses while still being hugely effective in maintaining its purpose to show how the air created in this current society towards minorities has become so overtly toxic, there’s an ongoing battle they have to face from all sides, making it that much harder to find means and motive to try and do what they can to alter the mindset of those who have now become the consistent enemy. We imprint on one another, whether we wish to admit it or not, and we watch compassion passed out to some who are undeserving, while those who truly need it get lost in the storm of hate and rage, which then translates into far more unneeded conflict than essential solutions. Navigating our identities was never promised to be an easy thing in general, but we do need to embrace a much more educated comprehension of the real struggles minorities face instead of ignoring it, or worse, becoming instigators of more harsh actualities that we see unfold or hear about on the nightly news. Hard truth, folks, but it’s unavoidable, inescapable fact we need to face and do so constructively, not destructively.
Smithey absolutely makes the most of every moment he’s on screen in order to showcase the concepts being depicted through his role as Justin, a very successful African-American man whose pleasant evening gets interrupted initially by an unrevealed “violation” that leads to a more than unsettling encounter with a white cop. Shaken by the episode, what begins as a nice night out with his girlfriend Christina at a trendy restaurant turns into a scene as the tension with Justin boils to the surface and causes their conversation to go from nice to argumentative, further adding to his already disquieted sense of self. Overwhelmed and no longer in a mood to deal with it all, Justin leaves Christina behind to take a lonely ride home with his anxious thoughts. However, the Uber driver Raul, who ends up unintentionally prying into Justin’s dilemma, ends up speaking simple yet potent encouragements that reorient and transform Justin’s mentality to at least the point where the ensuing discussion he has with Christina paints a deeper portrait of how much turmoil he’s facing, with greater answers remaining hidden and evasive. Throughout, Smithey beautifully and emotively demonstrates this inner turbulence with convincing strength and realism, which presents that illustration of today’s race relation issue in a stirringly accurate way.
Ferrara likewise presents a firmly executed and emotionally-driven performance in her role as Christina, Justin’s girlfriend who was only looking for a nice, tranquil night out with him that suddenly takes an awkward then heated turn once he brings up what happened on the way over to the restaurant. Doing her level best to empathize with Justin, however, she unwittingly throws fuel on the fire, causing him to react more and more in irritated, building resentment rather than true acceptance of what she’s really meaning to say in his defense. Soon on the receiving end of some rather hard words and embittered attitudes from Justin, with his demeanor already causing a scene as it is, she can only stand by as he makes an abrupt end to the evening, leaving her to find her own way home. Yet, her belief in him and her love for him brings her back into his path a little time later which allows for the depth of candid conversation they both needed to have, with some of her own battles about identity, gender inequality, and misconceptions about who she is coming out in the process. It’s healing for a moment, but still shines that even more revealing light on the uphill climb Justin feels he will face. Ferrara delivers a perfectly understated but intense performance that befits the character and the circumstances to a “T”.
Supporting turns start with stalwart character actor Trejo, who puts aside his machete and overall intimidating manner to play an average Joe, Raul, the Uber driver who ends up having quite a positive influence on agitated, unerved Justin, reminding his passenger about the importance of just being who he is, standing firm in it, and taking total ownership of it. Next is Kahyun Kim who plays Jolene, the waitress at the restaurant where Justin and Christina have their distressed chat over dinner. In total, with its powerfully expressive dynamics, believably executed narrative, grounded tone, and vital addressing of culturally significant arguments about the state of race and gender in this modern age, “Every Nine Hours” represents a truly noteworthy, persuasive debut for St. Germain, tackling the tough ideas of the consternations, uneasiness, and indignities associated with the weight of prejudice that we can only pray will one day be done away with once and for all in order to find a harmony among all people that will become the new norm we hear about every day, God willing.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
