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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
RIZE
Thomas ("Tommy the Clown") Johnson's
hip-hop clown academy gives children and youth a forum to dance. Set in
South-Central Los Angeles, which one mother describes as "the lion's den,
the pit of snakes," many of Johnson's students were children during the 1992
Rodney King riots. There are now over 50 clown groups and a splinter
movement of krumpers, who combine clowning with the stripper dance -
both legs wide open, upper body bent forward and a lot of bounce in the
hips. The movements are fast, aggressive and egocentric. According to the
opening disclaimer, no footage has been sped up in any way. These competing
dance styles face-off in a "battle zone with make-up" with Johnson
officiating and the audience deciding the victor.
The film's free form mirrors the choreography. Making his feature
documentary debut, fashion photographer David LaChapelle profiles a few of
these high schoolers/young adults and effectively captures the threat of gangs
and random street violence, as well as the role religion plays in their
lives. After the first hour, much of the information is repetitive. However,
what is remarkable is the vulnerability and the bond between two male youths
- teenager Tight Eyez, who was once shot by his grandfather, and his
protégé, Baby Tight Eyez, whose mother has been imprisoned. While the
exuberant dance sequences dominate, left unexplored are the future goals and
desires of these dancers, many of whom are already in their twenties, or any
mention of masculine identity issues. Rize is a grittier, less
upbeat companion to this summer's other dance competition documentary,
Mad Hot Ballroom. The 2003 documentary, OT: Our Town, in which
students from a South-Central LA high school struggle to mount a production
of Thornton Wilder's play, covers much of the same ground and offers the
suspense of opening night. Kent Turner
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