Short Film Review: 'Paul Laurence Dunbar: An American Poet' (2021)
A. Slate delivers an emotionally resonate, and consistent performance; paired with Zack Richeimer’s tight framing of the conversation, Paul Laurence Dunbar: An American Poet offers a sliver of both tension and resilience.
★★★★½
NR - Indie, Drama (10 minutes)
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dir. Kane Stratton
Starring: A. Slate, Timothy J. Cox, MyJoy Filer, & Tanner James Brown
“40 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, America had yet to reach her promise to all citizens. So the day had come, when a prolific writer and poet called to the world. He reminded us all that we ought not lack our most sacred virtues...compassion and sympathy.”
— Official Synopsis
Director Kane Stratton communicates the importance of compassion in his short Paul Laurence Dunbar: An American Poet. While historically fronted, the short film does its absolute best to give audiences a fresh contextual perspective on the country’s systemic violence towards people of color. Paul Laurence Dunbar (A. Slate) and Mayor of Dayton, Ohio, Charles D. Snyder (Timothy J. Cox), gather to discuss the town’s July 4th events. Dunbar must persuade the mayor that he is the right person to read an original passage while in attendance.
“Sympathy” was a real poem written by Dunbar in 1899 as he worked for the Library of Congress in horrific conditions. The poem, which has garnered a lot of attention through the decades, speaks to the experience of being persecuted. In the short, Dunbar wishes to share his piece with a larger audience during the celebration of Independence: delivering a message that Americans desperately need to understand. You can physically feel the tension during the interaction between Snyder and Dunbar.
A. Slate delivers an emotionally resonate, and consistent performance; paired with Zack Richeimer’s tight framing of the conversation, Paul Laurence Dunbar: An American Poet offers a sliver of both tension and resilience. It’s possible to feel so many different emotions even in such little time as 10 minutes. Rounded out by an incredible supporting cast and a dynamic lead, — not to mention historical importance — this short film isn’t one to sleep on.
A dinner table conversation held in 1903 proves to still be relevant in 2021, who knew. We should be ashamed.
Watch the full film here: https://vimeo.com/563921576