Harlem Aria is the story of Anton, a young man with a gift, sheltered all his life; an easy target.
Harlem Aria is the story of Matthew, a young man who finally got lucky; a helping hand.
Harlem Aria is the story of Wes, a young man who no longer believes in luck.
Movies like Harlem Aria succeed when we become afraid for its players; when we find ourselves anticipating the worst, even through our half-hearted understanding of the people involved. I’ve now seen Harlem Aria twice, months apart, and in both instances, the initially hesitant crowd has been worked into a frenzy of laughter, gasps, and tears. Its greatest strength, though, is how seamlessly director William Jennings intertwines these emotional responses. A quarter of the way through, you may feel like you know every bit of who these people are, what they have been through, and what they are capable of. Halfway through, your opinion might not have changed, and it is in this that William Jennings proves himself not just a rare storyteller, but a gifted one.
My first screening was packed with elderly filmgoers, my second stuffed to the brim with cynical New Yorker film snobs, and to my amazement, the audience responses were largely identical, beat for beat. In his Wes, Damon Wayans gives the performance of his career. Audiences are fearful when he appears onscreen, yet find themselves in fits of big, stupid laughter whenever he cracks wise. He commands the screen whenever he is featured, both as comedic relief and a constant reminder of this little story’s honest, desperate nature.
Not to be outdone are Gabriel Casseus and Christian Camargo (whom you may know from 24 and The Hurt Locker, respectfully). As Anton and Matthew, they shine. Like the cinema’s most endearing characters, you can see their entire lives when you look at them. And the same goes for Wes. Their postures under varying circumstances, their reactionary mannerisms; these players know who they are playing, and bring with them a rare sincerity. Whether it be Casseus’ portrayal of a man who is, above all else, just too trusting, Wayans’ generally detestable treatment of people or Camargo’s rather more enigmatic persona, their individual humanity shines through. Whether or not they “enjoy” the film, everyone who goes will more than likely relate to these men on some level or other.
Urban fairytales have come and gone, very occasionally to praise. More often than not, they simply slip through the cracks. People don’t know anything about them, so they tend not to go. It’s a shame that for every phenomenon such as Slumdog Millionaire, there are a hundred other great movies people just haven’t heard of, and it’s seldom their fault. The overwhelming majority of the films which have moved me in recent years have been shunted to limited release. Even when they’ve played major theaters, nobody’s seen any TV spots or trailers, or posters around town, and consequently, no one’s gone.
In my discussions and writings, I speak at length about motivation, adaptability, and context. A novelist will break his rules if the situation calls for it, a painter will slash his canvas if it will make for a better work, and a filmmaker will drop his focus if it’s time to do so. Certainly, there must be structure, and while rules can be broken, there must be a level of finesse. Harlem Aria takes this truth very much to heart, adapting its manner of storytelling a hundred different ways, and always with reason, and understanding, and motive. In this, Harlem Aria is adept, forcing one to realize that its manner of storytelling has in fact not adapted itself, but held true as a cinematic constant.
A picture such as this might have remained a cinematic obscurity as little as ten years ago, but nowadays, films have lives after their turn in the cinemas. Harlem Aria is currently playing in Manhattan, and will be on DVD from Magnolia Pictures on April 6th, so if you miss it in its run, you’ll still be able to see it.
"Harlem Aria" opens March 5, 2010 and is rated R. Drama. Written and directed by William Jennings. Starring Christian Camargo, Damon Wayans, Gabriel Casseus.
