Mississippi Damned
Encyclopedia
Mississippi Damned is an American drama film
directed by Tina Mabry. The drama features Adam Clark, Malcolm Goodwin and Michael Hyat. The film was written and directed by Tina Mabry, based on her life growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi
.
film critic Ronnie Scheib, praised the film, writing, "For the black men, women and children in Mississippi Damned, Tina Mabry's autobiographical saga of intertwined destinies, that southern state epitomizes a domestic hell of borderline poverty and endemic abuse. Complex family trees sometimes make for tough narrative sledding, but the thicket of obligations, traumas and betrayals that entrap the 'damned' here are well worth any momentary confusion. Mabry brilliantly captures a community as organic as it is dead-end, and the tortured legacy behind simplistic notions of ever escaping it. The NewFest audience award-winner demands strong critical support to overcome its downbeat subject matter and lack of a star draw."
The Philadelphia Inquirer
film critic, Steven Rea
, lauded the actors, writing, "Kelley (Walt Lloyd
in Lost
), Jasmin Burke and Jossie Thacker are among the busy ensemble whose exceptionally fine performances elevate what could have been a pile-it-on melodrama into something deeper and more unsettling."
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Tina Mabry. The drama features Adam Clark, Malcolm Goodwin and Michael Hyat. The film was written and directed by Tina Mabry, based on her life growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo is the largest city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is the seventh largest city in the state of Mississippi, smaller than Meridian, and larger than Greenville. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 34,211...
.
Plot
A trio of impoverished children living in rural Mississippi find that they must make a heart-wrenching decision between traveling down the paths taken by their doomed families and confronting the harsh realities that arise over time.Cast
- Adam Clark as Junior
- Malcolm GoodwinMalcolm GoodwinMalcolm Goodwin is an American actor. He has appeared in American Gangster, Breakout Kings, Detroit 1-8-7, Leatherheads,The Longshots and Crazy on the Outside....
as Sammy Stone - Michael HyattMichael HyattMichael Hyatt is a British-born film and television actress. Before Hyatt's work in film and television, she enjoyed memorable performances on stages throughout the country, particularly in Ragtime on Broadway.-Early life:...
as Delores - Malcolm David KelleyMalcolm David KelleyMalcolm David Kelley is an American teen actor. He starred in the 2004 film You Got Served as "Li'l Saint". He also appears in the television series Lost as the character Walt Lloyd. A regular cast member in the show's first season , he has appeared only occasionally since due to a dramatic...
as Young Sammy - Jossie Thacker as Charlie
- Tessa ThompsonTessa ThompsonTessa Lynne Thompson is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for the role of Jackie Cook on the TV series Veronica Mars.-Personal life:...
as Kari Peterson - Simbi KhaliSimbi KhaliSimbi Khali is an American actress, known for her role as Nina Campbell on the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Khali was raised in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of seven children...
as Anna - D.B. Woodside as Tyrone
- Chasity Kershal Hammitte as Leigh
- Kylee Russell as Young Kari
- Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Milena
- Michael Beasley as James
- Donna Biscoe as Gloria
- Southey Blanton as Irv
- Benjamin BrownBenjamin Brown (actor)Benjamin Brown is an actor who currently is on Fox's Safari Tracks as Ushaka, a South African zoological protector and expert. It first aired in 2005.In 1986, Brown graduated from Plainfield High School in Plainfield, New Jersey...
as Ray
Critical response
When the film was screen at the NewFest film festival in New York City, VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
film critic Ronnie Scheib, praised the film, writing, "For the black men, women and children in Mississippi Damned, Tina Mabry's autobiographical saga of intertwined destinies, that southern state epitomizes a domestic hell of borderline poverty and endemic abuse. Complex family trees sometimes make for tough narrative sledding, but the thicket of obligations, traumas and betrayals that entrap the 'damned' here are well worth any momentary confusion. Mabry brilliantly captures a community as organic as it is dead-end, and the tortured legacy behind simplistic notions of ever escaping it. The NewFest audience award-winner demands strong critical support to overcome its downbeat subject matter and lack of a star draw."
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
film critic, Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Steven Rea is an American journalist, film critic, poet, and writer. Although at the beginning of his career he was based in Los Angeles, California, he now resides on the East Coast. Since 1982 he has written for the Philadelphia Inquirer...
, lauded the actors, writing, "Kelley (Walt Lloyd
Walt Lloyd
Walter "Walt" Lloyd is a fictional character portrayed by Malcolm David Kelley in the American ABC television series Lost. The series follows the lives of over forty survivors of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815. Walt is introduced in the pilot episode as one of the survivors aboard the plane, which...
in Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
), Jasmin Burke and Jossie Thacker are among the busy ensemble whose exceptionally fine performances elevate what could have been a pile-it-on melodrama into something deeper and more unsettling."
Awards
Wins- American Black Film FestivalAmerican Black Film FestivalThe American Black Film Festival is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on works by Black members of the film industry. It has been called “the nation’s most prominent film festival.” The festival is held annually and features full-length narratives, short films, mobile...
: Grand Jury Prize, Best Actor, Tessa Thompson; Best Narrative Feature; 2009. - Atlanta Film FestivalAtlanta Film FestivalThe Atlanta Film Festival is an Academy Award qualifying, international film festival held in Atlanta, Georgia. Started in 1976 and occurring every April, the festival shows a diverse range of independent films, including genre films such as horror and sci-fi...
: Special Jury Award, Narrative Breakthrough; 2009. - Black Reel AwardsBlack Reel AwardsThe Black Reel Awards began in 2000 and were designed to annually recognize and celebrate the achievements of black people in feature, independent and television films...
: Black Reel, Outstanding Independent Feature, Tina Mabry; 2009. - Chicago International Film FestivalChicago International Film FestivalThe Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
: Gold Hugo, Best Film; Gold Plaque, Best Screenplay, Tina Mabry; Best Supporting Actress, Jossie Thacker; 2009. - New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film FestivalNew York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film FestivalNewFest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival put on by The New Festival, Inc., is one of the most comprehensive forums of international LGBT film/video in the world....
: Audience Award, Narrative Feature; 2009. - OutfestOutfestOutfest is an LGBT-oriented film showcase and festival in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1982 as the "Gay and Lesbian Media Festival and Conference", the name was changed to Outfest in 1994.-Programs:...
: Grand Jury Award, Outstanding US Dramatic Feature; 2009. - Philadelphia Film FestivalPhiladelphia Film FestivalThe Philadelphia Film Festival is held annually in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Until 2009 it was generally held during the first weeks of April....
: Jury Award, Best American Independent Film; 2009.
External links
- Mississippi Damned film trailer at You Tube
- Mississippi Damned director and producer discuss film at Slamdance Film FestivalSlamdance Film FestivalAs a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...
- Tina Mabry interview at StarNews On-Line