Spike Lee‘s Red Hook Summer is one of my must-see films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The movie features a cast comprised mostly of unknown and all we knew about the plot was the brief logline: “A young Atlanta boy spends his summer in Brooklyn with his grandfather, who he’s never seen before.” A full synopsis has gone online and reveals that the grandfather, Enoch (The Wire‘s Clarke Peters) is a strict firebrand preacher who “is bent on getting [the boy] to accept Jesus Christ as his personal savior.”
Hit the jump to read the full synopsis and check out new images from the film. The 2012 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 19–29th.
Here are the new images [via Sundance]:
And here’s the full synopsis:
When his mom deposits him at the Red Hook housing project in Brooklyn to spend the summer with the grandfather he’s never met, young Flik may as well have landed on Mars. Fresh from his cushy life in Atlanta, he’s bored and friendless, and his strict grandfather, Enoch, a firebrand preacher, is bent on getting him to accept Jesus Christ as his personal savior. Only Chazz, the feisty girl from church, provides a diversion from the drudgery. As hot summer simmers and Sunday mornings brim with Enoch’s operatic sermons, things turn anything but dull as people’s conflicting agendas collide.
Playfully ironic, heightened, yet grounded, Spike Lee’s bold new movie returns him to his roots, where lovable, larger-than-life characters form the tinderbox of a tight-knit community. A story about the coexistence of altruism and corruption, Red Hook Summer toys with expectations, seducing us with the promise of moral and spiritual transcendence. Spike is back in the ’hood.
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Sorry. I don’t see Spike’s films theatrically. I’m not gonna give $$$ to support the nutjob’s politics.
I’m sure you give your money to real worthwhile causes.
eeww…gross black people
I’m so looking forward to Spike’s new film. A true American master filmmaker finally returns to the big screen after a 3 year absence.
Spike who?
I have been waiting for this film for a long time. I’m glad Spike Lee is back. He is a real american filmmaker that respects the artwork of film.
Hasn’t made a decent movie since ‘Jungle Fever’,still has the bones to harp on about film making.Spike Lee is a douche bag,racist Prick.Racism goes both ways,Blacks don’t hold the trademark on Racism…if anything,they’ve become more racist since getting Civil justice….and not only to White People.
He’s currently Treme’s Clarke Peters and he’s wonderful in that show.
It was earlier reported that Spike would be reprising his role as Mookie from “Do The Right Thing” (my #2 all time favorite film) in this film. For that reason alone, I can’t wait to see this!
Sounds like good ole’-fashion storytelling, the way Spike does so well. There will always be the “pot calling the kettle black” in the comments section. Although I don’t agree artistically and culturally with Mr. Lee’s film and political direction, I however respect his CONTRIBUTION to the art and craft of film and telling a damn good yarn. I’m a heinz 57, a little bit of everything, and find it so absurd at the stupidity and obsession with race. There is only one race… HUMAN! everything else is pure construct! How about some true content!