Spike Lee new movie Chi-Raq is the retelling of Aristophanes? Lysistrata, the story of a Greek woman who plots to end the Peloponnesian War by convincing the women of Athens to go on a citywide sex strike.
Instead of ancient Greece the movie takes place in modern-day Chicago and the two warring Greek states are reimagined as two gangs.
The Spartans, led by local rapper Chi-Raq (Nick Cannon,) and the Trojans, led by the one-eyed Cyclops (Wesley Snipes) do battle with one another on the streets of Englewood while Lysistrata (Teyonah Parrish) fights to spread her message: ?No piece, no pussy.?
Chi-Raq is the moniker the city of Chicago has gained in light of a record-breaking number of shootings and gun-related deaths.
However, the actual residents of Englewood, which Chi-Raq substitutes for Lysistrata?s Athens can?t actually see the film in their neighborhood because there aren?t any theaters for them to go to.
While access to movie theaters isn?t nearly as important as easy access to fresh food, stable housing, there?s something to be said for giving the neighborhood?s residents a chance to participate in a broader cultural conversation about them.
08-12-2015 - Vidéo Spike Lee /
