Da Sweet Blood of Jesus

2014, 123mins
Directed by Spike Lee

Tw: knife and gun violence, extreme blood and gore, sexual content, death and murder, loss of a loved one, loss of a child, misogyny, racism, alcohol, addiction, religion, supernatural elements, full frontal nudity 

I’ve been waiting a bit to watch this, and I’m glad I did so after the initial fuss about it had calmed down. 

This movie is impressively stylized, with a gorgeous and very dreamy aesthetic. I cannot express enough how stunning the cinematography and set/costume design is here, truly. The deep jewel toned backdrops, warm, rich, woodsy mahogany and chestnut and earthy palette, brass and gold elements, and pure whites all make the ruby and scarlet hued blood jump off the screen. I appreciate that red of any other kind is saved exclusively for the two leads and anything accents that highlight their power, sexuality, and intellect. The costuming is equally decadent and impressive, and lends itself to the opulent and sophisticated air that blankets the whole film. 

Spike Lee doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to including exquisite pieces of African Art in nearly every frame, be it tribal and global, or modern and contemporary artists — it is so rich and luxe and adds so much to the atmosphere, as well as helping highlight character traits. The soundtrack alternates between piano score and hip-hop/R&B and always perfectly compliments the scene at hand. All of this truly makes for an absolutely spectacular ambiance and mood for this reimagining of the original Ganja and Hess.

The performances can be a bit disconnected and stilted at times, especially in the earlier third, but it’s just as melodramatic and affected as the original as far as I am concerned. Rami Malek is absolutely hilarious, I’m pleased as punch with the casting of Williams and Abrahams, and I feel they work well together, albeit slightly lacking a true romance element. My biggest lament there is that this film lacks the dreamy, hazy, sultry and electric sex scene that cements an intense chemistry and highlights the power shared between the two lovers. It’s one of the scenes that makes the original so iconic and strong, so I’m not sure why it was left out here? It’s a critical piece that should’ve had plenty of time to fit into this remake’s 120ish minutes! Alas.I can see the reasons this hasn’t been a slam dunk for critics and film fans alike, and it isn’t without flaws, though it seems unfair to think anyone could come close to replicating or even able to one-up the original. That being said, it’s still worth the watch and the film still deftly employs all of this to drive home its core themes of colonialism, religion, addiction, sex, etc. with a nice dash of humor to break up the tension. If nothing else, and here I go with my trademark haha, it has absolutely exquisite eye candy. But really in the end does it really matter what we all think? Spike Lee has more than earned the right to just make whatever the hell he wants to, and let his artistic vision (and alright maybe also his ego) take the helm, because nobody can make a movie quite like he can.

Review by Ellen Avigliano
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