Rude

This urban drama, the first feature length Canadian film to be made by an all black crew, is set amid a group of disenchanted black teenagers living in the ‘projects’ (public housing) who seek to express themselves, as they struggle against the confines of their lower class economic constraints that exclude them from mainstream society. Rude is an underground female pirate DJ who, seeking a voice for the troubles that seethe around her, transmits to the projects; General arrives home from jail spell for drug dealing to reconcile with his wife, Jessica (a police officer) and son; General’s brother longs for Jessica, and works for a white racist drug lord; Jordan, a young boxer, participates in gay bashing, despite his burgeoning desire for men; disconsolate Maxine reflects upon a failed relationship. The fortunes of these characters represent the disempowerment of Canadian minority groups, whose failure to have their cultural origins acknowledged within the broader milieu of the community is echoed in numerous misguided and frustrated acts of aggression. The explicit, rhythmic, political, and erotic rapping of Rude mirrors a potent narrative, moving and frightening in its intensity as it explores the themes of social isolation, homophobia, abortion, drug abuse and the violent expressions of youth.