Review: JADE at Chelsea Film Festival

The stereotypes of African-American fathers as absentee dads or deadbeats persist and have been perpetuated over the years through media portrayals and racist tropes. That’s despite occasional departures from the norm like The Cosby Show or black-ish.

So, it is especially refreshing and uplifting to see a film that denies the stereotype and gives an empathetic face to black fatherhood.

JADE is the creative contribution of an inspired and powerful collaboration between Luke Tennie (Apple TV+’s Shrinking) and Noam Shapiro (The Kill Room) of Dirty Coffee Pictures and Schmeh Pictures founders Serena Ryen and Ethan Itzkow.

Now that’s quite a robust mouthful of names, but when you consider the body of the film that these artists have stirred up, you’ll agree that “robust” fills the bill.

The setting for the film is a bleak street apartment somewhere in Manhattan where Noah (Shapiro) holds forth as barber extraordinaire and erstwhile counselor to his best friend Freddy (Tennie).

While Noah is giving Freddy a fade haircut, it’s clear that the man in the chair is anxiety-ridden. Freddy is fearful of losing custody of his daughter Jade and feels the legal deck may be stacked against him. Noah’s sensitivity to his friend’s dilemma is palpable. With each carefully clipped line, it’s evident that Noah has a clear understanding of the texture not only of Freddy’s scalp but also of his heart. With firm strokes of encouragement, Noah’s quiet and deliberate counsel empowers Freddy to take control of his situation. A father’s love cannot be denied.

The strength and emotional impact of JADE lies in Tennie and Shapiro’s convincing and authentic portrayals of two men whose bonds of affection and mutual respect are fully apparent.

Beyond the acting, there is also something visually stunning and entrancing about the film. It’s the way Jorge Arzac’s camera carefully follows each line of Noah’s meticulous styling, reflects the emotions of the characters, and captures the spunky hip hop feel of a New York neighborhood.

JADE is a slick, very urban, and quite resonant film that, in the flow of 14 minutes of spirited dialogue, is filled with heart and soul.  

JADE, beautifully directed by NAACP Theatre Award winner Robert Manning Jr. and
co-produced by Dirty Coffee Pictures and Schmeh Films will have its East Coast premiere at the Chelsea Film Festival on Friday, October 13th. The film can also be viewed online by linking to https://filmfestplus.com/get-pass/?festival=CFF23YUN6SWQ. (Full run time with credits: 15:35)

Chelsea Film Festival ~ https://chelseafilm.org/ ~ Venue: Regal Theatres Union Square ~ 850 Broadway, New York, NY ~ 844-462-7342

Schmeh Films ~ SchmehFilms@gmail.com ~ 941-421-9021

Graphic credit to Schmeh Films