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Since Girl 6, Spike Lee's last film was so bad, i thought i would review
one of his best efforts.
Crooklyn is a wonderful slice of life movie that Lee takes great care in directing. Written by his siblings, sister Joie and brother Cinque, Crooklyn is the tale of a family growing and learning with each other in a Brooklyn brownstone during the early 1970s.
The family faces ordinary problems and then some. The father, played by Delroy Lindo, is a musician who works on a musical composition that takes up most of his time. Without his income, the mother, played by Alfre Woodard, has to pay the bill with her salary as a teacher. This discrepency leads to arguments and Lindo periodically leaves the family. Other incidents of family life pop up throughout the movie, providing a sense of authenticity to Crooklyn.
The other major story line revolves around the daughter, played by Zelda Harris. Harris is a central person in the family's everyday activities. During the summer, Harris travels south to spend the summer with well off relatives in Virginia. Lee captures the dreamlike world of suburbia through the eyes of Harris. To her, the suburbs could be Rome--both are foreign. Later in the film, tragedy strikes the family and Harris poignantly pulls the family back together.
Crooklyn is a triumph of filmmaking. Lee gets outstanding performances from Lindo, Wooddard and the children. The early 1970s setting gives us a feel for what life in Brooklyn was like and what it would eveolve to be. Obviously, the story is derived from some of the experiences of the Lee family. Their own personal experiences are heartfelt and the viewers will feel some kind of connection to this family and this film.
-KR