[3] It went on to screen at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival to acclaim, winning the Special Jury Prize for Outstanding First Feature for director Leslie Harris and securing distribution with Miramax. Yet Harris boldly displaces Chantels psychology from explanations to displays that find their correlates not only in Chantels own actions but in her experiences and observations. [6][5] Author Terry McMillan and filmmaker Michael Moore helped to finance the post-production when it was running low on funding. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Afterschool shows floated the consequences of teen parenting, while old school specials warned about a peak in high school pregnancies: Its 10 p.m. do you know where your children are? Long before I first watched MTVs "Teen Mom," or "Riding in Cars with Boys" with Drew Barrymore, or "Fifteen and Pregnant" with Kirsten Dunst, Id already seen my fair share of cautionary tales about life as a young mother. It was time to hear a feminine stance on what was going on in America's marginalized communities. , Package Dimensions However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Picture this: a hand-held close-up on the perfect, clear image of a young girls face. Amazon.com: Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. This review may contain spoilers. : Drama Romance With hopes of becoming a doctor and not a product of her environment, a Brooklyn teenager is faced with numerous challenges that threaten her dreams. is a 1992 American drama film written, produced, and directed by Leslie Harris. The idea for the film generated from a short film Leslie Harris made for Planned Parenthood titled Another Girl,[4] as well as a personal experience Harris had as a teenager when her friend became pregnant. However, she earns mostly As and Bs in school, and is fully determined to receive an education beyond her primary one. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 2023 Cond Nast. "I think in a lot of films you have teenagers who appear to be older than they are, or act older," she points out, breaking down the saccharine teen prototype. (Its also available to stream on several sites, including Amazon and iTunes.) In her search for "realness," Just Another Girl is hot cinma-vrit style. is one of the first original films proving that black girls are not monoliths. : It does not store any personal data. I wish Leslie Harris made more movies. Theres a deeper message in "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.," aside from its cautionary teen mom in the hood tale. Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. For her, the pubescent girl-woman is the most edgy and clear place to get at he truth of "coming of age." I was told, Hey, why dont you make it into a documentary? Except for Julie Dash, we havent really had an African-American woman who has done a feature-length, black-woman film. Just Another Girl on the I.R.T is Harris' first and only feature film to date. The preliminary problems with getting Just Another Girl produced hit on several levels. , Ariyan A. Johnson, Kevin Thigpen, Ebony Jerido, Chequita Jackson, Jerard Washington, Studio Beth Coleman is a freelance journalist living in New York. Yay! I love that it goes into the dumb thought teens have on preventing pregnancy. When they think they can just judge you by the way you dress, uh-uh! At the same time, Harris also employs the very self-conscious technique of direct address. Going back to the dry days of 1988 black film anti-vista, when Spike Lee was the only game in town, Harris says, "They said to make it male I heard this!" After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. A womans body still serves as a fearful and mysterious excavation to such an extent that Harris didnt even have to go outside to find her images of "ghetto living" and black humor in all senses of the word. Its as if you cant have a central character whos not good at all, and from my experience I think people are a combination of bad and good.". Without Chantel's strong personality, the relative lack of energy from the father of her child and. Be the first to contribute! Our girls can slay fantasy and reality when given opportunities to occupy rooms where they are often left out of the conversation. Then I started to apply to other places the Jerome Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, American Association of American Video and Filmmakers, emerging artists grants." It really profoundly affected me when I found out she was pregnantjust how it changed her life, the whole responsibility of it," said Harris. From the start, Just Another Girl on the I.R.T., an independent film made on a very low budget (reportedly a hundred and thirty thousand dollars), is a polyphonic work of multiple voices and consciousnesses. Now I wanna take a trip down memory lane with more movies like this. See production, box office & company info. Her artfully stylized, explosively funny film also manages to be deeply moving without jerking easy tears", and that Harris represents "a bracing new voice; she keeps her big little movie brimming with the pleasures of the unexpected. So what would "Just Another Girl in the I.R.T." -This video is also for teaching purposes.-It is not transformative in nature.-I only used bits and pieces of videos to get the point across where necessary.We make these videos intending to educate others in a motivational or inspirational form. A true broad who illuminates the constructions placed on young black girls who refuse to dampen their own. Photograph by Park Circus / Leslie Harris, reportedly a hundred and thirty thousand dollars, Everything Is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard. In The Eloquent Screen, Perez brings together films reflecting a wide range of traditions, time periods, techniques, and experiences, in order to unite them with probing analyses of their distinctively cinematic rhetoric. No garbage can breaks the White Fathers window. The Hate U Give" starring Amandla Stenberg, based on the New York Times's Young Adult bestseller of the same name. Used by Permission of Warner Chappell Music Inc. Harris spent time in Planned Parenthood and other teen sex counseling facilities doing research to back up her impressions. , ASIN Chantel Mitchell, a hip, articulate, black high-school girl in Brooklyn, is determined not to become "just another girl on the IRT" (the IRT is one of NYC's subway lines). Your Next Favorite Cocktail Will Have Flower Power, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. The film follows Chantel, a Black teenager living in the New York City projects. Its a story about controlling your narrative told through the lens of a gum-popping, slick-tongued, A-student who just so happens to be black. It does not store any personal identifiable information. Im the best student in my calc class! Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. [10], Positive reviews praised Ariyan Johnson's performance as Chantel, with Hal Hinson of The Washington Post stating she "seizes the camera's attention like no other performer since John Travolta strutted into Saturday Night Fever. Elated: The power that Derren Brown wields over his audience is astonishing. "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T." - the writing and directorial debut of up-and-coming black woman filmmaker Leslie Harris - is a sharp, sassy blend of comedy and drama in the tradition of Spike Lee, that speaks with a fresh new voice all its own. [Unreleased] - Original Soundtrack on AllMusic - 1993 AllMusic. Cancel anytime. Original Soundtrack (Cassette - ERG #89272) "[11] Though some critics described the film as "awkwardly staged"[12] and said the second half loses its footing,[13] many agreed the film was groundbreaking for featuring the perspective of a teenage girl, in comparison to other Black coming-of-age films like Boyz n the Hood, Juice, and Straight Out of Brooklyn. (frames per second) as the moniker for her Brooklyn-based production company because thats what shes interested in truth, without a lot of frills or confusion. [22], "Leslie Harris: 'You just can't get a film financed with a black woman lead', "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. While this is a deeply black film city living where the names are Chantel, Tyrone, Natete, Cedrick, Gerard, Lavonica, Denisha. When she began writing Just Another Girl, Anita Hill's testimony against Clarence Thomas during his Supreme Court nomination confirmation proceedings was being televised. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. TMDb Learn more. Special thanks to Leslie Harris for directing such a moving and thoughtful portrayal of a bright, beautiful, young African-American woman with plenty of spirit and courage. Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. Chantel speaks the truth in every class. First, Harris wanted to avoid the clichd drug obsession accompanying male violence of most "street" films, but no one seemed interested in such a film. She owns her body and finally acknowledges the errors of her ways. Original Soundtrack (Cassette - ERG #89272) . With a budget of only $130,000,[1] the entire film was reportedly shot in just 17 days. "[19], Leslie Harris has spoken of the difficulty of producing any further feature-length films despite positive reviews of her directorial debut. The critically-acclaimed film birthed by Leslie Harris in her 1993 directorial debut is a masterclass in black girl badassery, both in front and behind the camera and a harrowing look at the real cost of teen pregnancy. Is that sound morning sickness or Memorex? Ariyan A. Johnson earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress.[3]. Because of this, I wouldnt meet the films feisty protagonist until a few years later, when my parents upgraded our basic cable to premium. The actors themselves are clearly inexperienced, but the director apparently didn't know how to work with them to pick up the pace, and probably didn't have the budget to do more than one or two takes. With her mother working during the day and her father working the night shift and hence sleeping all day, Chantel is given the responsibility of taking care of her brothers in addition to going to school full-time and working a part-time job at a local grocery store. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. is a 1992 American drama film written, produced, and directed by Leslie Harris. A Tribute to My Teacher Gilberto Perez and His Eloquent Philosophy of Cinema. I also showed my friends and now they show it to their kids. ", And, like a dream, doors opened up for the young director: Hollywood starlets were fist-fighting on Melrose for the coveted lead role; Julia Roberts was thinking of plastic surgery to have her nose broadened or not. Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2022. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Soundtracks submission guide. She also has to face the crisis of letting her parents, her peers, and her school know that shes pregnantand how she does so is the dramatic crux of the movie. Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. I understand why this won at Sundance! The initials "I.R.T." Harris brings to the fore a character whos no abstraction but has abstraction forced upon her, who, with her very identity (rather, identities), is born into conflict, is thrust into a public life and a symbolic role that reflects back into her sense of self and plays an integral part in the formation of her character. Used by Permission of Rushtown Music Publishing Co. According to Harris, despite the success of Black directors such as Spike Lee and John Singleton, the film industry has been hostile to Black women, and she could not arrange funding for any other projects. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Chantal's character proves that you can make it in this world on your own terms, even if you make a mistake, if you are determined. Start Your Free Trial New subscribers only. : Much to the chagrin of her teachers, she wants to graduate early in order to get into college as soon as possible. Takes a familiar framework and goes about it entirely differently with an ending that almost spoils you in its subversive, positive quality. Posters are sourced from TMDb and Posteritati, and appear for you and visitors to your profile and content, depending on settings. Find release credits for Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. The train they are on was built in 1962 does not any door chimes. (Americans, after all, love a winner.) "Not Just Another Girl" Music and Lyrics by Genarvis Albright Produced by Michael Raye Performed by Ron Grant, from a google of the movie soundtrack; there are some videos of ron grant singing on youtube, but none I can find of this song. (Bytches with Problems), Courtesy of Rush Associated Labels/Columbia Records. (1993) - Releases", "Criterion Channel Launches Ultimate "63-Film Salute" To New York City", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Just_Another_Girl_on_the_I.R.T.&oldid=1142413524, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 07:08. Was really taken by this, its passion and earnestness and lack of interest in being palatable or preachy for white audiences; a wonderful and under-appreciated film with a very impressive central performance from Ariyan Johnson. Please choose a different delivery location. We intend to spread awareness of Afro American culture and provide researchers, scholars, enthusiasts, and fans a platform to explore. Cant find it anywhere so Im assuming its made just for the movie but it really is NO WHERE. The cliche dialogue didn't help much either. Lacking a proper sex education, Chantel ends up pregnant and must contend with her future. I laughed at a lot of the scenes. , Writers Chantel Mitchell, a hip, articulate, black high-school girl in Brooklyn, is determined not to become "just another girl on the IRT" (one of NYC's subway lines). There is a good deal of hand-held camera snaking past the punch bowl or around the playground wall to catch Chantel and her friends unaware. [1][20], On the 30th anniversary of the films premiere at Sundance, Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. "[6] Because Harris "wanted to avoid the clichd drug obsession accompanying male violence of most 'street' films," she ran into resistance from potential producers and financiers. the first film directed by a Black woman to get wide-release distribution. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. just another girl on the irt music | Discogs All Release Master Artist Label Search Marketplace Exploring just another girl on the irt 1 - 6 of 6 Sort Labour Of Love Parts I + II & III (The Platinum Collection) UB40 100 Hits Abracadabra (The Best Of Rock. Thats such a shame, its a really great song. Find album release information for Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. If theres a full version somewhere out there help me out! Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Used by Cloudflare to route user traffic for this Site. , Release date "We didnt need a helicopter." [5][7], Of her film's central character, Harris said, "I wanted a 17-year-old, and from a creative stand point, I wanted to avoid delineating bad girl or good girl. I searched high and low for this movie. Many of the best black American filmmakers of recent timesincluding Julie Dash, Zeinabu irene Davis, Wendell B. Harris, Jr., and Leslie Harrisburst into the cinemasphere with a first film of startling originality and have been denied the chance to make a second feature ever since. ", Ah, the miracle of distribution, the indie nirvana not only did Harris slave over the making of it, but people will actually see this one. "I wanted a 17-year-old, and from a creative stand point, I wanted to avoid delineating bad girl or good girl. Twenty-five years later, we need these stories more than ever, and Im thankful Harris paved the way for them. Her experience wasnt out of the ordinary and it still isnt. Harris says she had about $130,000 in total, but two-thirds of her way through production she ran clean out of dough. did. I recommend every young girl to watch it because it shows how a young girl can get caught up and have to face difficulties in life.very very educational and shows the life of a young teen and her struggles in life as a student and a young mother. [18] In 2020, a retrospective article in The New Yorker stated the film captures the complex social pressures facing a Black teenage girl and argued filmmakers have "dared not do another film like it. Had an African-American woman who has done a feature-length, just another girl on the irt soundtrack cassette film 's young Adult of. Film was reportedly shot in Just 17 days relative lack of energy from father... In its subversive, positive quality her ways often left out of Ads. However, she earns mostly as and Bs in school, and by! 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