Just Another Girl on the I.R.T is Harris' first and only feature film to date. If you havent seen this film, I dont want to give away the ending, but I will tell you, Harris couldve easily allowed Chantels character to fall flat by giving in to preexisting stereotypes about unwed black mothers. Harris tells the happy ending. Chantels self-awareness doesnt fade with a baby; if anything, its heightened. "[15] Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle wrote Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. "When I wrote the script I knew I would have a limited budget, limited locations. More at The film addresses a variety of contemporary social and political issues including teenage pregnancy, abortion, racism, poverty, and HIV/AIDS. We are entitled to be dreamers, even when the world refuses to listen. I couldnt believe I was attempting to edit without an assistant or anything. The film follows Chantel, a Black teenager living in the New York City projects. (1992) Soundtracks It looks like we don't have any Soundtracks for this title yet. It was time to hear a feminine stance on what was going on in America's marginalized communities. The preliminary problems with getting Just Another Girl produced hit on several levels. 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. Second, she ran into a straight-up sexist blockade: "I knew I always wanted to do a feature-length film that seems kind of obvious but for a woman I really wasnt encouraged. ': Black Girlhood On Film", "The Lasting Appeal of 'Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. : The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". "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 CtPhilly_Cmcas 1 yr. ago Nothing on this soundtrack. "[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. : These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. But personal and sexual challenges confront Chantel on her way to fulfilling these dreams. [9], Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. Twenty-five years later, we need these stories more than ever, and Im thankful Harris paved the way for them. Her career has drawn comparisons to other Black women directors such as Julie Dash, who similarly premiered a film at Sundance but struggled to green-light future projects. Produced for Autograph Collection Hotels | Follow along as Becky Harris, founder and head distiller of Catoctin Creek Distillery, travels to 2 Autograph Collection Hotels to gather inspiration from each boutique hotels dedication to craft. Mobilesite. But personal and sexual challenges confront Chantel on her way to . When she began writing Just Another Girl, Anita Hill's testimony against Clarence Thomas during his Supreme Court nomination confirmation proceedings was being televised. (Americans, after all, love a winner.) She dreams of medical school, a family, and an escape from the generational poverty and street-corner life her friends seem to have accepted as their lot. While guided by her intelligence and sassy personality, she can't help but to face the struggles that plagues many teenage girls. 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. is a 1992 American drama film written, produced, and directed by Leslie Harris. "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T." See production, box office & company info. : Chantel comes from a tense yet loving home, with self-inflicted pressure applied as the eldest child to contribute to the household. She dreams of medical school, a family, and an escape from the generational poverty and street-corner life her friends seem to have accepted as their lot. ', "The Still Astonishing "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. "We didn't need a helicopter." Sitting in her Miramax distributor's office early one bright October morning, the 32-year old, Ohio-born auteur tells the tale of the making . Every item on this page was chosen by a Shondaland editor. Report this film, Instead of a parable on choice, this film avoids the act of choosing all together, using this lack of action to instead focus on other issues of teen pregnancy, emphasizing Chantel's immaturity and irresponsibility and showing how misinformation can lead to her circumstances. Chantels parents work long hoursher mothers on the day shift, her father on the night shiftso shes responsible for getting her brothers up and off to school in the morning. His television series attract record audiences. Raised in the Brooklyn ghetto, Chantel aspires to leave by going to college becoming a medical doctor. Suddenly, the over-confident Chantel were used to seeing is lost and confused for the first time in her life. "[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. JustAnotherCrane | Cranes In The Sky x Just Another Girl On The IRT - YouTube 0:00 / 2:03 JustAnotherCrane | Cranes In The Sky x Just Another Girl On The IRT Teneille Craig 21. Beth Coleman is a freelance journalist living in New York. The moment I laid eyes on Chantel Mitchell (Ariyan A. Johnson), I was enamored of her. "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. "[19], Leslie Harris has spoken of the difficulty of producing any further feature-length films despite positive reviews of her directorial debut. Find release reviews and credits for Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. She is a woman who knows what she wants and she is rough; she is a child overwhelmed by the speed of growing up and she is absolutely vulnerable. ", "From 'Jinn' To 'Just Another Girl On The I.R.T. Chantel is very ambitious (pre-med designs in high school, good grades, etc. Synopsis. She becomes pregnant and must decide whether to have an abortion. I also showed my friends and now they show it to their kids. Made by fans in Aotearoa New Zealand. Wed met the "Boyz in the Hood" just two years prior, and now it was time to hear a feminine stance on what was going on in Americas marginalized communities. "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. [1] The film opened in select cities on February 26, 1993,[6] expanding to a wide release on March 19. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". I watched this movie in the 90s when it came out. No black youths shoot each other. [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. Unbelievable. Your Next Favorite Cocktail Will Have Flower Power, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. is "a faithful portrait of teenage emotional life" and "ultimately offers a welcome glimpse of one of the individuals behind the sea of faces racing by in the subway cars -- the kind of face and individual that Hollywood customarily has never given a second look. 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. Theres a deeper message in "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.," aside from its cautionary teen mom in the hood tale. And so did screenwriter, critic, and Fort Greene resident Nelson George. However, she earns mostly As and Bs in school, and is fully determined to receive an education beyond her primary one. I love this movie. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. : Picture this: a hand-held close-up on the perfect, clear image of a young girls face. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. : Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. In her search for "realness," Just Another Girl is hot cinma-vrit style. At her first stop, Schloss Lieser in Germany, she explores the hotels rich history and vision, the adjacent vineyards of the famous Moselle valley, and the unique flavors of the region. [14], Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said, "Harris offers an adrenalin rush of energy and talent. ", 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. In lieu of a title card saying The End, Harris places one with the title of the film and an epigram that she signs in her own name: A Film Hollywood Dared Not Do. It turns out that even the independent-film community dared not do another film like it. I was told, Hey, why dont you make it into a documentary?"[7] At that time, the only prior feature-length film to be directed by a Black woman and get theatrical distribution was 1991's Daughters of the Dust by Julie Dash. Itd look like Little Miss Flint and Marsai Martin. Harris was a fine arts major at Denison College, a small liberal arts school in Ohio until her last year when she began working with film and video. It was really a challenge but I think I took a disadvantage and turned it into an advantage." Shot in seventeen days on a shoestring, this first-time feature from writer-director Leslie Harris - a black woman understandably fed up with male dominance in movies - is cause for celebration. Our understanding is that it is in correlation to Fair Right Use. When they think they can just judge you by the way you dress, uh-uh! "[Miramax President] Harvey Weinstein came to look at the film and said, I want it." When Just Another Girl opens in February, Leslie Harris and America will have another first. The films artistry opens new paths that the industry at large, both mainstream and independent, thought best to leave unpursued. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. This movie reminds me of my own experiences growing up in inner city NYC as well as how important it is for parents to be available and supportive to their children. She is, in all her vexing glory, the protagonist of Harriss shoe-string-budget ode to the working teen living just enough for the city, Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2015. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2022, This is my favorite movie be prepared to laugh to smile and to cry, Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2022. Cancel anytime. [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. Thats such a shame, its a really great song. Someone suggested that she do a baby X and get on the phone to the less financially-challenged brothers and sisters. There's no male character to validate her. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. In the span of just a few minutes, Harris evokes the myriad complexities of teen-age life, and of the specifics of Chantels own life and states of mind. ", "25 Years Later: Catching Up With Just Another Girl On The I.R.T Director Leslie Harris", "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. , Package Dimensions Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2022. : 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. 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. 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.". , Release date "I wanted a quasi-documentary feel," she says. Aspect Ratio I love that it goes into the dumb thought teens have on preventing pregnancy. Vegan alert:Chantel (Ariyan A. Johnson) pulls some chicken out of the fridge. 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. Harris told me she was. Amazon.com: Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. 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. I wanted to get an editor involved but I couldnt afford one." Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. While not so much a parable pertaining to choice, it's also a film that feels empowering in terms of how it portrays Chantel's own growth as she turns from a carefree individual into someone who decides the best course of action for herself. All rights reserved. A Tribute to My Teacher Gilberto Perez and His Eloquent Philosophy of Cinema. 1992 Harris spent time in Planned Parenthood and other teen sex counseling facilities doing research to back up her impressions. Is that sound morning sickness or Memorex? The film follows Chantel, a Black teenager li. And between 1991-1994, birth rates were higher for black teens than any other group. : I searched high and low for this movie. Courtesy of Philadelphia International/Columbia Records, If anyone comes across this cd or cassette, pass it on. 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.[7] Harris also chose to shoot the film in a cinma-vrit style, giving the audience "the feeling that youre experiencing this girls life along with her. I wanted to have the film very bright, not dark and bleak, just a difference in perspective of how life goes on.[7], Ariyan A. Johnson was cast in the role of Chantel from over 200 hopefuls. Featured New Releases; Editors' Choice; All New Releases; Discover. 9:17: Chantel and her friends are inside the 2 train, when the doors are closing a door chime is heard. She rattles down the list. Amazon Music Stream millions of songs: Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers: Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon: 6pm Score deals on fashion brands: AbeBooks Because of this, I wouldnt meet the films feisty protagonist until a few years later, when my parents upgraded our basic cable to premium. A subreddit for identifying a song/artist/album/genre, or locating a song/album in a legal way. I watched them all growing up; I even laughed and cried at them inspired by the fate of the protagonist but also feeling extremely invisible, because these stories were not mine. Considers its characters' flaws with clarity, detail and understanding, never punishing them nor letting them off easy. Given these are short videos, the small parts we use within them act as a catalyst for further reading. The film premiered at the 1992 Toronto International Film Festival and later screened at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize. "[16], Since its release, Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. So when Chantel meets Tyrone, aka Ty, a dapper young brother with a handsome face and a fancy Jeep, she throws caution to the wind and somewhere between an invisible condom and a missed period, she gets pregnant. look like in 2018? A gem of a film brimming with simple beauty and bold style particularly by lead actress Ariyan A. Johnson and writer/director Leslie Harris. [17][5] Jim McKay's 2000 film Our Song, a coming-of-age film starring Kerry Washington, was inspired by I.R.T. I wanted to have the film very bright, not dark and bleak, just a difference in perspective of how life goes on." Chantel symbolized the misunderstood black girls of the past, present, and future. , Number of discs A Whiskey Makers Exploration of Craft Part 1. Thanks! 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. Find album release information for Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Chantels knowledge is inseparable from power, as seen in school scenes or another sequence, both comedic and painful, in which she and two female friends discuss sexual matters with a misguided, or, rather, unguided confidence that reflects hearsay rather than education; it reflects all that they arent being told by parents or teachers or the media. *******************************************************************************************************The Department of Afro American Research, Arts, and Culture is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the preservation of Afro American films. I wish Leslie Harris made more movies. "People werent really receptive to the idea of doing a film about a woman," Harris recounts. I got the message loud and clear: no babies, at least not anytime soon. The analytical isolation of Ladj Lys first feature, a nominee for the Oscar for Best International Feature, comes at an artistic price. (1992) officially released in Canada in English? 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. more Starring: Ariyan JohnsonKevin ThigpenEbony Jerido Director: Leslie Harris R Drama Movie 1993 hd Add SHOWTIME to any Hulu plan for an additional $10.99/month. Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2021, I love this movie so much I can literally watch it all day on replay. , Writers Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2021. [Unreleased] - Original Soundtrack on AllMusic - 1993 AllMusic. [8] Funds came from grants through organizations such as the American Film Institute, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Women Make Movies. With a self-funded $130,000 budget, she ran out of money in post-production but Harris told The New York Times in an interview published earlier this year that famed author Terry McMillan and filmmaker Michael Moore pitched in to cover additional costs. After college, she came to New York to work for a high-powered ad agency that was looking for more "people of color" (as she diplomatically phrased it). 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. 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). "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. The train they are on was built in 1962 does not any door chimes. 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." [5], Harris knew she wanted to make a film that centered on a Black woman, explaining she "was just tired of seeing the way black women were depicted, as wives or mothers or girlfriends or appendages. has been praised as a pioneering film about Black Americans, in particular a film directed by a Black woman, and is regularly screened at film festivals. Whether its in Chantels confrontations with a white teacher who responds with hostility to her challenge to an educational system that has little to say about the African-American experience, her sparring with a sympathetic clinic counsellor (Chequita Jackson) whos legally barred from discussing abortion, her reckoning with violence in the streets, or her clash with the schools principal (Wendell Moore), society at large is an active participant in the movies drama and, above all, in the formation of Chantels inner life. She dreams of medical school, a family, and an escape from the generational poverty and street-corner life her friends seem to have accepted as their lot. Get Shondaland directly in your inbox: Subscribe Today, .css-o1gecm{color:#323232;display:block;font-family:GTWalsheim,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin-bottom:0.3125rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-o1gecm:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-o1gecm{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-o1gecm{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-o1gecm{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;}}Your Next Favorite Cocktail Will Have Flower Power, The 18 Nail Colors You Have to Try This Spring, These Vegetarian Soup Recipes Are So Filling, My Teenage Daughter Taught Me How to Pamper Myself, Channel Main Character Energy With Rom-Com Core, I Went Ice Swimming in Search of Uncomfortability, How Dr. Thema Bryant Is Shaking Up Psychology, Meet the Black Women Reshaping American Theater, Unlock Your Dreamy Intuition This Pisces Season, Head Turners: Meet MacArthur Fellow Loretta Ross. She owns her body and finally acknowledges the errors of her ways. [22], "Leslie Harris: 'You just can't get a film financed with a black woman lead', "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. Yo, when Im with my friends, I act like it dont matter, cuz it dont! Inc. 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. At the same time, Harris also employs the very self-conscious technique of direct address. Theres much to marvel at in the film: its assured tone, its vibrant depiction of early 90s Brooklyn, the trenchant script which handles notions of teen pregnancy with care, but my kind keeps coming back to Johnsons performance.

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