Quickcard Review - 46th Chicago International Film Festival CLICK HERE for complete coverage of the Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF 2010)

Louder than a Bomb

Directed by: Greg Jacobs & Jon Siskel Running Time: 1 hr 39 mins Rating: NR Release Date: TBD

PLOT: A documentary about four different high schoolers who participate in Chicago's "Louder than a Bomb" slam poetry competition.

WHO'S IT FOR? Teenagers would benefit from watching this documentary especially since it is a very true and very inspirational story about those who work hard at their skills. The audience of this movie is certainly not limited to an age, however. It isn’t even limited to those who like poetry or not. This is for everybody.

OVERALL

Boom – here’s the first must-see movie of the Chicago International Film Festival.

Louder than a Bomb is an incredibly pure documentary – it lets its subjects speak for themselves, literally, without too many interviews or back stories. A lot of the film features full performances of the slam poetry, as delivered with tremendous heart and soul from its very talented young subjects. They have pride, they have power, and at times they also have egos. This is a rare piece of documenting cinema that feels almost entirely without prejudice toward any certain subject, or even a certain team. There is no inspiring moment of the movie that feels phony. In one sense, it is lucky to have picked such a warming topic. In the other, it is remarkable for capturing and successfully conveying such awesomeness.

The film involves its audience in the competitive nature of the tournament, but agrees with the competitions ethos that “the point is not the points, it’s the poetry.” Through the words of four fascinating and very real individuals, this documentary offers a shining light that is sure to instill hope in the future generation, and also in the kids themselves.

Like the best documentaries, you don’t just remember the main subjects long after the film is over. Louder than a Bomb introduces you to people that stick with you, with shouted stanzas that stay in you.

FINAL SCORE: 8/10