Louder Than a Bomb

Bill Gibron is a veteran film critic from Tampa, Florida.A poetry slam in never just about the words. It's about the performance, the attitude, the literary window into a world few will know and even less will easily recognize. It's about verbalizing the struggles of the socially marginalized, about giving voice to those who have none. So it's no surprise that the new documentary from Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel (nephew of late film critic icon Gene) concentrates so much of its energies on said speeches. Taking its title from the annual Chicago area competition, Louder than a Bomb focuses on four schools, and the individual participants who hope to make a splash via their artistry and their anger. With its unpredictable outcome and pat backstory, we get something both familiar and totally fresh. As the 2008 season opens, upset victor Steinmetz Academic Centre is trying to prove that their win at the 2007 slam was not a unwarranted. Lamar Jordan, Kevin Harris, Jésus Lark, Charles Smith, She'Kira McKnight and their coach James Sloan, know that everyone will be gunning for them. Among the other competitors we get to know are the flamboyant Adam Gottlieb from Northside Prep,  the thoughtful Nate Marshall from Whitney Young Magnet High School, and a weary Nova Venerable from Oak Park/River Forest High School. All believe they have the stuff to be the next citywide champion. Of course, real life frequently enters into the picture, painting portraits in absentee parents, disabled siblings, economic disenfranchisement, and on occasion, personal fear and doubt.

Similar in style to the iconic Hoop Dreams, Jacobs and Siskel clearly understand the inherent power in their subject. All they have to do is treat the people and the performances with respect and something like Louder than a Bomb will sing. The result is indeed one defiant diva. On the one hand, we witness some of the most amazing slam presentations ever, choice works from students who clearly understand the basics of their craft and how to expand and exploit them . As each one takes the stage and whips the audience into a frenzy, the clever combination of poetry, rap, activism, rebellion, and theatricality comes across persuasively. Not only are these kids competent, they are smooth as glass and cool under fire.

Yet there is a missing element within Louder than a Bomb, an aspect that cries out for clarification. Put in simplistic terms, what's lacking here is the process. We see how Nova's domestic situation inspires her work, but we don't see the creation of her cries. We don't get the practice, the refinement, the rewrites and revision. There is no work in progress here, just foundation and then amazing onstage conclusions. Toward the end, we do get a minor moment when a competitor realizes his poem needs work, but unlike other films which fill in said blanks, Louder than a Bomb believes you don't care for such structure. Granted, the last act contest is so compelling we really don't care how we got there. However, since we've invested so much time with these kids and coaches, it would be nice to understand how they went from wary student to star performer.

Like a hit Broadway show without a glimpse at the previews, Louder than a Bomb is all celebration and limited perspiration. We understand the diversity of backgrounds and the archetypical "us vs. them" dynamic at play. With the inclusion of some more making-of material, we'd have a meaningful masterwork. As it stands this delightful documentary may skimp on the set-up, but it does a terrific job of examining the freedom, and the fire, that comes from a command of the written word.

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