Jes Grew On The Big Screen in 2025
At the tailend of Mumbo Jumbo, Papa LaBas says that Jes Grew “has no end and no beginning,” (Reed, 204). In this monologue, Reeds seems to be pushing a theory on how Black creativity will stand the test of time because of its ability to reinvent itself over generations. Today, that seems to reflect in many parts of society, but what I want to focus on is cinema. The space for independent films, spearheaded by directors like Spike Lee, Ramon Menendez, and Jordan Peele resembles the idea of Jes Grew. In films like Do The Right Thing and Stand and Deliver, these filmmakers embrace Reed’s idea of an unsatiated cultural force, while in a sense, taking control of who gets to tell stories that are celebrated in America. I find the best parallel to Jes Grew is Spike Lee. He has made films like Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X, and BlacKkKlansman, uses color, music, political beliefs/ideologies, and chaos to create a plotline that consistently pushes against the Atonist constraints and rules. Lee’...