- Harlem Fragments is an Afro-futurist scrapbook storytelling of a Harlem Black family's beautiful destruction during the 2008 recession. A natural disaster so mesmerizing you can't look away from the tragedy. Based on true events-
- The film explores the haunting societal pressures of achieving the Black American dream, told in the POV of 10 year old TJ revisiting his family's home that's up for sale, along with his sister and grandmother, two months after his parents dark divorce. TJ, the 10 year old protagonist in our story, tries to stop this crumbling from happening, launching himself on a space mission to rescue his family from the literal black hole of the all consuming experience of divorce. By empowering this Black boy in this film with the agency to imagine, TJ, through his own journey, finds a way to process and come to terms with his family's divorce. It's important for every Black child out there enduring the same foreign emotions to know that it's okay to feel them, and affirm that there is a future trajectory forward out of the initial destruction. The storytelling of this film is told through the manipulation of time and space, euphoric animation segments and visceral cinematography that entrances the viewer, transporting them directly into this family's emotional album of memory fragments- the only thing salvaged from the destruction.
- Harlem Fragments is an Afro-Futurist Drama Sci-Fi that follows the journey of two young siblings, Mya and TJ, as they navigate their parents' divorce leading from the early 2000s up and through the 2008 recession. Mya and TJ's parents, Lynn and Lawrence, are successful opulent, and the perfect dictionary depiction of the perfect Black power couple and American Black family - but their marriage begins to crumble. Their separations and eventual divorce proceedings begin, leading to the sale of their Harlem brownstone, Sag Harbor and Martha's Vineyard vacation homes.
The film uses storytelling techniques that move between three realms: reality, deep space, and memory flashbacks. In reality, the siblings stand together in front of their empty brownstone, babysat by their wise grandmother. They discover a mysterious closet that leads them into deep space, where they become explorers searching for their estranged parents.
Guided by the Hummingbird ship's navigation system - Afro Nebula, the siblings embark on an emotional and cosmic journey. They receive transmitted video flashbacks of their family's cherished memories, including happy and sad moments in disorienting glimpses.
TJ searches for his family, he instead finds a Black hole, a reflection of the destruction of his family's world. Along the way, the film explores the reasons behind Lynn and Lawrence's divorce, including their differing expectations and the pressures of their respective careers.
In a climactic moment, Mya and TJ both in their own ways must accept the reality of their parents' divorce and let go of their idealized image of a perfect family. The Hummingbird spaceship breaks down, and they are pulled toward a black hole, symbolizing the gravitational force of divorce.
Harlem Fragments is a visually stunning and emotionally resonant journey that explores themes of love, family, resilience, and acceptance. It takes audiences on a cosmic adventure while reflecting on the enduring strength of sibling bonds, the complexities of divorce, and normalizing the ongoing journey of processing emotions to show children and families alike there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
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