The film, whose star-studded cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett and Wesley Snipes, among others, is directed by Lee and co-written by Lee and Kevin Willmott. The satire puts a contemporary spin on the mythological Greek comedic tale of Lysistrata, who gets the women of ancient Greece to withhold sex from their husbands and boyfriends as a way to end the Peloponnesian War. The trailer depicts a group of African-American women joining forces to do just that in Chicago’s toughest and most crime-ridden neighborhoods as a means of ending the violence.
“THAT’S how we want to depict our community? THAT’S the answer?” Rhymefest said.
Rhymefest said the idea of the violence in Chicago being compared to a war — hence the film’s title — angers him perhaps most of all.
“Spike Lee should have used Chicago writers. None of them were from Chicago. This movie is not about a war. This is not a war. Wars are fought for a reason generally. People fight over land, over money. . . . That’s not what’s happening on Chicago’s South Side . . . . People like to say its gangs fighting over turf. That’s not it. It’s senseless violence. People feel disrespected and not validated. They’re poor. Guns are cheap. Drugs are cheap. Because guns and drugs are cheap senseless violence happens. The guns and drugs get into the hands of children. . . . You can pick up the story of this film and drop it into any [city]. Chicago was used because of the media’s portrayal of the violence and it was used as a way for [Lee] to sell tickets. We were used. We were exploited. This story is not specific to Chicago.”
But Rhymefest also said the crime stems from the disintegration of the family unit that’s prevalent in society.
“Where do we start [to fix the problem]? With our families. No doubt with our families. If the family can’t be healed then we cannot begin to quell the violence. [Rhymefest recently reconnected with his own father after 25 years, which was depicted in the film “In My Father’s House”]. We have to begin by finding the fathers, the mothers, because some of these children don’t have mothers either. We need to find foster parenting. . . . The mayor is blaming police for not cracking down enough [on the violence] for fear of losing their jobs or being sued. Gov. Rauner cuts off funding to after school programs and free mental health clinics. Preachers are losing their congregations — that’s the best movie I’ve never seen.”