By Kim Bennett
The Seattle Medium
The setting is lush, green, vibrant and vast as a young man runs through a sugar cane field in Jamaica. He is training, struggling, striving and on the edge of reaching his goal to become a champion sprinter. The scene is both beautiful and inspirational, but it speaks to something else. There is a deeper meaning of the country and its people that runs throughout the film entitled Sprinter.
Sprinter is director and writer, Storm Saulter’s, second feature film. As a Jamaican filmmaker and visual artist, Saulter focuses on telling stories that are complex, nuanced and true to the Jamaican experience. Something that he feels is lacking when it comes to depictions of the Caribbean in mainstreams films. With a culture complicated by the enduring effects of colonialism and post colonialism, the tangible energy and spirit of Jamaica is evident throughout the film.
“One of the first images I saw was a young man running through a cane field. There is a hard history about what the cane field represents, but it’s still relevant to show the character moving through it. It shows that you’ve overcome it somehow,” Saulter explains.
True to the coming-of-age story structure, Sprinter follows the trials and tribulations experienced by 17-year old Akeem Sharp as he goes through the process of becoming. He is becoming a man and a world-class sprinter all while dealing with the issues of a family fractured by physical separation. Akeem’s mother left over 10 years ago for work in the United States to make a better life for the family. Though she sends money home regularly, she does not make plans to return home.
“I wanted to tell a story about a modern Caribbean family that is more complex and motivated by things that are more relatable,” says Saulter.
“Our point of view is the most important thing,” adds Saulter. “My point of view is fresh.”
Saulter introduces that fresh point of view by creating an engaging atmosphere full of vibrancy. Playing up the colors, music and language (the film is in Jamaican patois with English subtitles) of the country make for an immersive experience.
“I want to embrace the color,” says Saulter of the film. “Let’s not step away from it to increase drama, but move towards it.”
With a cast of new talent including Dale Elliot as Akeem and Shantol Jackson as Akeem’s friend Kerry Hall, along with familiar faces like David Alan Grier from “In Living Color” and Lorraine Toussaint from “Orange is the New Black”, the film feels relatable and true to the realities of an everyday Jamaican family.
Exploring topics such as masculinity and abandonment, Sprinter also offers a new take on the formulaic sports story theme of an underdog fighting through setbacks. Sprinter gives viewers something new and radical in its honesty. This is especially true in the portrayal of Black men and how they relate to each other. The interactions feel complicated, real and tender. For example, there are several instances in the film where male characters tell Akeem that they are proud of him. Those moments alone are compelling and often times unseen depictions of Black masculinity.
Saulter recalls another subtly impactful moment in the film where the men are together at the dinner table.
“That scene where they [Akeem, his father, his brother, and his nephew] are all sitting at the table and they are having dinner, there are three generations of men,” he continues. “There is something about that image that is very powerful. Showing men be emotional and unsure about what their path is.”
Sprinter is not only beautiful to look at, but with executive producers Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, backing the film, Sprinter is in a position to open doors to more content from the Caribbean.
Saulter is working to do just that. As co-founder of New Caribbean Cinema, a collective with a mission to help bring more Caribbean films to the world and remove the barriers to production, Saulter is doing his part to show that there is a market for these stories.
For those who know only the tourist destination side of Jamaica, Sprinter helps broaden that scope, providing a different look at the African diaspora, which is important for the world and especially African Americans to see.
“Caribbean culture is intertwined in the African American story,” says Saulter. “Our journeys are connected and intertwined. It’s another way to look at yourself and be proud of your blackness.”
Sprinter screened at the Seattle International Film Festival this year and can be seen in theaters across the country. To check out the participating theaters, go to https://www.SprintertheFilm.com. You can also request that Sprinter be screened at a theater near you by emailing bookings@filmrise.com.
