30 years ago, filmmaker Spike Lee and his siblings Joie and Cinque put together their own personal nostalgic feature called Crooklyn. Loosely based on the siblings' childhood growing up in Brooklyn, New York, the film is possibly the most personal project of Lee's filmography to date, and it has remained a deeply passionate staple of his works now that it has garnered minor cult status over the years. Looking back at the film today, while it's by no means perfect in every single regard, it nonetheless works quite well as a complicated coming of age dramedy from the point of view of Lee and his own family.
Set in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn during the summer of '73, the film follows a young girl named Troy Carmichael as she learns life lessons through her family, such as her rowdy brothers Clinton, Wendell, Nate, and Joseph, her strict yet caring mother Carolyn, and her naive, struggling father Woody. As a film inspired by the life Lee and his siblings experienced, Crooklyn is a psychologically stimulating feature that is carried through Troy navigating a tough world that she nonetheless resonates in. Although the plot is fairly scattered and feels more episodic than coherently structured, it feels appropriate considering how crazy and unpredictable the life of any child can be, such is the case with Troy having to deal with her uncontrollable brothers, eccentric neighbors, and wacky kids her age and beyond. Zelda Harris captures the insecurities of childhood pain through subtle facial expressions and genuine snark that make Troy that much of an endearing lead protagonist, arguably more so than the factor of Joie Lee being who she's clearly based off of in the first place.
In depicting an authentically harsh view of childhood without sugar coating the lives of New Yorkers, many of the people Troy tries to gain respect from either make or break the poor girl. Delroy Lindo and Alfre Woodard share conflicting roles as Woody and Carolyn respectively, with both actors working off their individual roles for the benefit of their children all while struggling to make end's meet. Considering that they're both based on Lee's own parents, the film is at its most tender and vulnerable once Troy and her brothers have to face the harsh reality of growing up too soon. Other characters can range from basic opponents like the Carmichael's noisy next door neighbor Tony Eyes and the whack glue sniffers Snuffy and Right Hand Man or colorful friends like the flamboyant singer Tommy La-La and war veteran Vic Powell. However, Woodard and Lindo are such powerfully emotional players that the film simply would not have been anywhere as effective without their appearances, showing how much a father and mother's love can truly go a long way.
As this is a Spike Lee joint, the unsubtle director manages to incorporate his own style within the more heartfelt and tender sequences. By means of emphasizing the film's time and place, the soundtrack consists of period music from the 1960s and 1970s that displays the nostalgic throwback Lee and his siblings were going for in representing their own memories. In addition, the on location shooting aesthetic portrays the Brooklyn township backdrops as full of life and community not unlike the people who grow up there today. Much of this can be attributed to the smooth playful cinematography of Arthur Jafa, the cooky editing of Barry Alexander Brown, and the melancholy somber jazz score of Terence Blanchard. In many ways, the Brooklyn location is almost a character in itself thanks to how much the people there thrive off of the surroundings, whether for better or worse. Through genuine soul and visual representation, coming of age films like this have proven to succeed in feeling humanly natural and full of life beyond the mere dramatic elements alone.
As crazily episodic as it is indelibly remorseful, Spike Lee's Crooklyn succeeds in capturing the conflicts of youth and family that can never be broken in spite of the circumstances happening during one's life. If you have not seen this film yet, do yourself a favor and give it a go, regardless if you're a New Yorker or not. Even if you're not familiar with the contextual story behind the making of the feature itself, there is more than enough to appreciate about a film that depicts black girlhood with such raw power and love all over each frame. It remains a landmark cult classic of New York for good reason after all.
Set in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn during the summer of '73, the film follows a young girl named Troy Carmichael as she learns life lessons through her family, such as her rowdy brothers Clinton, Wendell, Nate, and Joseph, her strict yet caring mother Carolyn, and her naive, struggling father Woody. As a film inspired by the life Lee and his siblings experienced, Crooklyn is a psychologically stimulating feature that is carried through Troy navigating a tough world that she nonetheless resonates in. Although the plot is fairly scattered and feels more episodic than coherently structured, it feels appropriate considering how crazy and unpredictable the life of any child can be, such is the case with Troy having to deal with her uncontrollable brothers, eccentric neighbors, and wacky kids her age and beyond. Zelda Harris captures the insecurities of childhood pain through subtle facial expressions and genuine snark that make Troy that much of an endearing lead protagonist, arguably more so than the factor of Joie Lee being who she's clearly based off of in the first place.
In depicting an authentically harsh view of childhood without sugar coating the lives of New Yorkers, many of the people Troy tries to gain respect from either make or break the poor girl. Delroy Lindo and Alfre Woodard share conflicting roles as Woody and Carolyn respectively, with both actors working off their individual roles for the benefit of their children all while struggling to make end's meet. Considering that they're both based on Lee's own parents, the film is at its most tender and vulnerable once Troy and her brothers have to face the harsh reality of growing up too soon. Other characters can range from basic opponents like the Carmichael's noisy next door neighbor Tony Eyes and the whack glue sniffers Snuffy and Right Hand Man or colorful friends like the flamboyant singer Tommy La-La and war veteran Vic Powell. However, Woodard and Lindo are such powerfully emotional players that the film simply would not have been anywhere as effective without their appearances, showing how much a father and mother's love can truly go a long way.
As this is a Spike Lee joint, the unsubtle director manages to incorporate his own style within the more heartfelt and tender sequences. By means of emphasizing the film's time and place, the soundtrack consists of period music from the 1960s and 1970s that displays the nostalgic throwback Lee and his siblings were going for in representing their own memories. In addition, the on location shooting aesthetic portrays the Brooklyn township backdrops as full of life and community not unlike the people who grow up there today. Much of this can be attributed to the smooth playful cinematography of Arthur Jafa, the cooky editing of Barry Alexander Brown, and the melancholy somber jazz score of Terence Blanchard. In many ways, the Brooklyn location is almost a character in itself thanks to how much the people there thrive off of the surroundings, whether for better or worse. Through genuine soul and visual representation, coming of age films like this have proven to succeed in feeling humanly natural and full of life beyond the mere dramatic elements alone.
As crazily episodic as it is indelibly remorseful, Spike Lee's Crooklyn succeeds in capturing the conflicts of youth and family that can never be broken in spite of the circumstances happening during one's life. If you have not seen this film yet, do yourself a favor and give it a go, regardless if you're a New Yorker or not. Even if you're not familiar with the contextual story behind the making of the feature itself, there is more than enough to appreciate about a film that depicts black girlhood with such raw power and love all over each frame. It remains a landmark cult classic of New York for good reason after all.