Barstow, California

Movie Screening | As part of "Cities for Life"

The documentary takes viewers to California’s Mojave Desert and the small town of the same name on historic Route 66. The film centers on Stanley “Spoon” Jackson, an African American poet and writer who has been serving a life sentence since 1977. His voice narrates the film as his brothers, Abraham and Ray, guide viewers through the landscape of his childhood.

Renowned filmmaker Rainer Komers does not tell a traditional biographical story, but rather paints a quiet and atmospheric portrait of a forgotten part of America. Amid dry roads, desolate-looking landscapes, railroad tracks, and the endless desert, a haunting portrait emerges of poverty, racism, domestic violence, loneliness, and the American Dream. Jackson himself does not appear in the film—his autobiography is read in voiceover and interwoven with images of his homeland.

DE/USA | 2018 | 76 min | Dir.: Rainer Komers | OmU