Own the rights?
Let me say that I would imagine that I am the target audience for this film. By this, I mean that I am not a young, economically challenged African-American woman living in an urban area, since I would imagine that that particular demographic does not need to be made aware of the difficulties they face on a day to day basis. That said, I did not feel Leslie Harris did the best job in trying to bring these issues across. As others have said, I found the main character to be thoroughly unpleasant. While flawed characters can be more interesting to watch, their character strengths should be far less superficial for them to merit any sympathy or empathy from the viewer (i.e., just being intelligent and ambitious is not enough for me to like a character).Also of note is the amateurish acting, which truly detracts from the viewing experience. The documentary-style camerawork could have added to the feeling of verisimilitude, but coupled with the acting, it constantly draws attention to the fact that the viewer is watching a film. I understand certain allowances must be made when watching low-budget independent films, but the filmmakers should have realized that today's audiences are spoiled and have little patience for elements that feel unnatural.I also take issue with the film's ending, which rings completely false in light of everything that has preceded it. One person compared it to the seemingly tacked-on happy endings from melodramas of the past. The problem with that logic is the fact that those endings were imposed by the studio and sometimes by censors. This is an independent film (one "Hollywood dared not do") and can take the risk of having the ending that fits best.I have heard it suggested that all the elements I have called attention to were aesthetic choices by the filmmakers. To that, I must say that, if this is so, it causes the film to be rather self-defeating. To call attention to the film's artifice, thereby pulling the viewer out of the story, causes them to view it as just another light show on a screen. It can be safely viewed as just a film, all thoughts of it depicting reality left aside.Films are often attacked for being too manipulative. Here is a film that is not manipulative enough. If a filmmaker wants an audience to be able to identify with a situation she/he should take great pains to make certain they are not taken out of the film throughout. While I admire the fact that Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. tries to show me a world I have minimal knowledge of, it did not involve me enough to give the subject matter much of a second thought after the credits rolled. Instead, I just kept thinking about its quality as a film.
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