South Central Days

This morning I read in the L.A. Times an article about a program in a youth offender facility that allows those kids to write and direct a short film as a means of perhaps therapy but also to show them that they can do something more, something constructive instead of continuing down the spiral of a criminal life. But the focus was more on one kid Marquis C who wrote directed and starred in a movie that focuses on death, only to a few months later be shot and almost killed in real life.
I'm explaining it all wrong and it's really cool so here are some excerpts from the article

"... on the grounds of Camp David Gonzalez detention center, Alex Muñoz teaches a handful of youthful offenders the art of making films.
Every year for the last five years, the class of teenagers has produced a number of dramatic scripts and, eventually, short films about the precarious twists and turns of a harsh life on the streets.
But this year, one student's story was different: Marquise Calhoun's screenplay focused on death -- his own.
And that story line troubled Muñoz, who felt uneasy about encouraging Calhoun to make a film that foretells his own demise.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Muñoz asked. A different ending, he said, might be better.
But Calhoun wasn't about to alter his story of a young man from South Los Angeles who must make a choice: Do I smoke weed, shoot dice and hang out with homies searching for easy prey? Or take my girlfriend's advice and find a job and escape to a better place?
"That's my reality," Calhoun told his instructor. "A lot of my friends are already dead, and I just may be next."
He was a student at 68th Street Elementary School when his best friend was shot in the head and killed. He was enrolled at Bethune Middle School when he began ditching class, joined a local gang and started selling drugs and getting arrested.
... he drew a montage, which he titled "South Central Days." The rough illustration depicted a man with an Afro, an AK-47, a pair of dice and an LAPD helicopter on his right; his girlfriend and a Greyhound bus on his left.
"Calhoun took control of the film," Muñoz said. "We want authentic images. One of the things [the kids] say is they don't want any fake Hollywood stuff."
In "South Central Days," Brianna meets Calhoun on a schoolyard where he is shooting dice and drinking with friends. She persuades him to go home with her and then demands that he change his ways. Calhoun seems to agree with her but goes out one last time with friends to burglarize a house that is supposed to be empty. It isn't, and in the film, Calhoun is shot and killed by the angry homeowner, who wakes up and discovers the young men in the midst of the crime.

In March, after Calhoun was released from the camp, he finished acting and filming the last scenes of his short film at his house on 75th Street. But then he faded into old routines and started to associate with old friends. Like several others in the film class, he lost contact with Muñoz. He was looking for a job but not having much luck.
One hot day in July, on his way to get a haircut, Calhoun was approached by a gang rival and challenged over his neighborhood territory. They started to fight and the other man pulled a gun and shot Calhoun twice, striking his wrist and hip.
"I was gasping on the ground," Calhoun recalled. "I could see people walking past me. I'm shot and people are walking past me? Why couldn't they call the police?
"But they just kept walking."
From the ground, Calhoun watched the gunman run past and wondered if the next sensation he felt would be a shot finishing him off.
But the gunman kept on running, and at that moment, Marquise Calhoun decided this life had to change.

It reminds me of Menace II Society kinda and to be honest I was expecting a lot less. And though the little interview portion at the end was a little dispiriting (it helps to know he’s trying to turn his life around) this film did introduce me to some new slang that I’m going to try to incorporate in my daily life (but will inevitably fail in doing) “bust a ghost” that I guess means to be a no show.
It's called South Central Days and even though it's NSFW it is perfect for a Mid Day Movie break

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And for more information on Films by Youth Inside you can check out their website here.

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