Recently, filmmaker and director Noel Calloway visited Chicago for the screening of his first film and directorial debut, Life, Love, Soul. The film, which stars actors Jamie Hector and Chad Coleman (“The Wire”), Tami Roman (“Basketball Wives”), Terri J. Vaughn (“Meet the Browns,” “The Steve Harvey Show”) and newcomer Robbie Tate-Brickle, centers on the challenges involved with father and son relationships—an often misunderstood dynamic in not only the black community, but also society at large.
"What I wanted to do was give a story that gave both perspectives,” said Calloway. "I think that's a void sometimes in our portrayals and in our discussions as well--we don't get all the sides."
Life, Love, Soul tells the story of 17-year-old Roosevelt Jackson who, after the sudden death of his mother and younger brother, is forced to live with his estranged father (Coleman). Throughout the story, the father and son’s strained relationship is played out on-screen; they engage in heated exchanges while challenging each other along the way, ultimately culminating in a mutual understanding and respect for one another.
This film is no Boyz N The Hood or Menace II Society; Calloway is clear to illustrate that not all stories involving black fathers and sons have to contain a negative, violent or murderous undertone—that through communication, and pushing machismo and ego aside, young black men don’t have to succumb or perpetuate societal stereotypes. And with the current plethora of stories in the news that are highly unflattering to black youth, the film is indeed a welcomed treat. Life, Love, Soul opens in select cities on Friday, April 13; for the Chicago area, it will be screened at AMC Loews in Norridge, Illinois. While that is obviously a little beyond the city’s limits, it is worth the drive for two very important reasons: to support independent black film and to possibly, save a black life.
For more information, visit the film’s website.
~ LaShawn Williams
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