Shot: Caught a Soul
Countless lives had suffered from police brutality, and more often than not, racial discrimination has been the major cause of this kind of crime. It is truly sad that those whom we thought who’ll protect us do more harm and danger because of hate. Today’s review is a film titled “SHOT: Caught a Soul” written by Gloria J Browne-Marshall and directed by Jeffery Thompson and Bobby Field. A movie that will open your perception about the lives and future that are lost forever because of this hate crime. You’ll get to meet Kareem and hear his version of the incident which is often never heard of again.
The short film “SHOT: Caught a Soul” retells the unfortunate fate of a young man who had his life ended by a gun, moreover by hate and bigotry of a police officer. The story may sound familiar, where a person of color, a black man, is stopped by the police for unsolicited questioning. That led to conflicting viewpoints, prejudices, and death. The compelling part about this movie is how it gave both sides of the story. It also gave us the officer’s perspective and how the incident, his crime, immensely affected him and his present state of thinking. How his denial and fabrication of the truth led him to a life of lie and isolation with no one but his conscience and the voices in his head.
I like the concept of the film. It was like a web call set-up, wherein every character was like in a blog or a video call exchanging dialogues and expressing themselves. This film excellently adapted to the new norms of filmmaking with this concept. It made the approach of the film more personalized. It was like watching someone not just tell his version of the story but was more of a conversation. It made me feel like I knew Kareem (Khalil Adams Pilgrim). It had me imagine how his life was and what more he could have been if only he had the chance. If only he did not come across paths with the police officer. However, Kareem’s story gave me enlightenment, that even if he escaped that fateful day, there will be someone ought to face the same fate as long as there is hate, as long as there is discrimination, and as long as there are people like Officer O’Donald, holding a gun in his hands, abusing his power and consumed by his discerned biases, there will be more and more suffering and injustice. I admire directors Jeffery Thompson and Bobby Field, as well as the movie’s writer Gloria J Browne-Marshall’s advocacy to educate and enlighten us about cases similar to Kareem’s story. And how the cry for justice must continue for every victim of this kind of crime for the benefit of the innocent lives that may suffer the same. The story of this movie may be sad, but it is worth sharing. Its relevance, timeliness, and distinctive personalized depiction will surely have it at the top spot of your must-see list.
Review by Helena Zurc – Utah Film Festival Screener
