Fresh from its premiere at Tribeca Film Festival 2020, Mr Somebody follows a former Crip gang member searching for peace after 14 years behind bars.
Shot over the course of two years in Los Angeles, CA, director Brian Wertheim’s short tells the story of Bam, a former Crip gang member from South Central, Los Angeles. Having spent most of his early years in and out of prison, Bam is now entering middle age, picking up the pieces of his life and reassessing what has come of his dreams.
Opening a window into a Black community in Watts, Los Angeles, Mr Somebody shows a side of America fraught with pain, privation, and the challenges of violence and mass incarceration. For those growing up in Watts there are few narrative alternatives to the well-worn paths of generational gang culture, broken families, and institutional discrimination.
In the Imperial Courts housing projects—and greater South Central—Mr Somebody is a story that many in the community can relate to. The film serves as a testament to the youth of America’s inner-cities, and a reminder to those living under more prosperous circumstances that America still has a long way to go to make good on her promises.
