The exhilarating and deeply emotive performance competition doc, Louder Than A Bomb, chronicles four groups of gifted student poets out of the 46 Chicago area high school teams, who are participating at the 2008 Louder Than A Bomb, or LTAB, teen poetry challenge. Three teen-aged bards and one school's entire team are spotlighted as they prepare to battle for the coveted first place standing. Each profile openly reveals the profound personal significance of both their writings and the expressive platform of the poetry slams bears for the young poets as well as a glimpse to its positive impact on their futures.
Poet, Breathe Now!
Emmy-winning TV documentary producers, Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel, were inspired to make their first feature-length documentary after discovering the poetry competition, and investigating how it drew such a diverse group of teens. The filmmakers were impressed by the LTAB community’s “…remarkable combination of democracy and meritocracy, where everyone’s voice is respected, but the kids all know how to bring it.”
Ten years ago, the Young Chicago Authors, a youth-oriented creative writing and literacy organization, started Louder Than A Bomb, which would become the largest youth poetry slam. A poetry slam is a spoken word competition that prizes performance as well as literary expression from its competing poets. However, LTAB requires participating high school poetry clubs enter as a team to instill peer collaboration and critique. Four poems, which are performed solo, plus, one four piece poem must be written for the slam by the students.
The Point Is Not The Points, The Point Is The Poetry
One of the first poets the film introduces is Nate, who makes the long commute daily to Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, (where both Michelle Obama and this reviewer were alumnae). A senior with six years of poetry slam experience, Nate conscientiously nurtures the novice poetry club members to establish their school's future legacy in LTAB. While coaching them to improve their on-stage performance skills, he, nevertheless, assures they "understand that the world is bigger than poetry slam".
The charismatic and ever-smiling Adam is from Northside College Prep, in Chicago’s upscale Far North Side neighborhood. He genuinely appreciates his privileged status that has always allowed him a voice. Nevertheless, this sincere and sensitive modern- day hippie lives to write poetry, and is considered a superstar by the other teens in the LTAB community.
The tough and no-nonsense Nova, from city suburban Oak Park/River Forest High School, writes raw, hardcore poetry about her estranged father. “Everything you had no room for got piled up on a shelf like children.” Yet, she happily and tenderly mothers her younger, special needs brother.
Finally, the spotlight is on Lamar and his fellow Steinmenauts, from Steinmetz Academic Centre, in an economically-depressed and crime-ridden Westside neighborhood. Lamar admits, when younger, he was a troublemaker, and was even arrested. However, his father never cried until he heard Lamar perform poetry on stage.
The 50-member strong Steinmenaut team entered the Louder Than A Bomb competition for the first time last year, and won. This time around, the team is better, but struggling with writing their poems for the fast-approaching competition. Yet, during the climatic semi-finals bout, they each deliver powerful verses, especially with their group collaboration piece, Counting Graves.
10, 9, 8, 7 year-old boy, put 6 feet deep, in a 5 foot coffin, wondering what 4, 3 grown men has 2 drive by, he dodges couple of bullets, but one.
If you are unfulfilled by the hang ending, and need to know the outcome of the final competition round, you’ll find satisfaction by reading the end credits.
The Cast and Crew of Louder Than A Bomb
Louder Than A Bomb features Nova Venerable (from the Oak Park/River Forest H.S. Slam Team), Adam Gottlieb (from the Northside College Prep Slam Team), Nate Marshall (from the Whitney M. Young Magnet H.S Slam Team), and, the Steinmenauts, Lamar Jorden, Kevin Harris, Jésus Lark, She’Kira McKnight and Charles “Big C” Smith, (from Steinmetz Academic Centre).
Produced and directed by Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel (Siskel/Jacobs Productions). Cinematography by Stephan Mazurek. Edited by John Farbrother. US theatrical distribution by Balcony Releasing.
Louder Than A Bomb was reviewed during the IDA’s 14th Annual DocuWeeks™ Theatrical Documentary Showcase.
Louder Than A Bomb opens in theaters on May 18th, in New York City, and select regional cities.
(Running Time: 99 min)
Not Rated
(Running Time: 99 min)
