The short film “Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma” takes us on a different learning experience of our alphabets. Director, writer, and actor Topaz Jones snapped on this film. Jones and his team (Rubberband) took the alphabet to a new level. I want to call it the big kid Alphabets. You will learn something that they did not teach us in preschool. Sundance Shorts Review: ‘Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma’ by Topaz Jones
While watching the film, each letter in the alphabet will receive a word relating to black and brown people. This word can also represent how it is affecting our communities. Some guest speakers that spoke on some of the terms are The Roots- Black Thought, Ivy Sole, Keith White, and so much more.
One word that came up a couple of times is “Code-switching.” This word has become very popular in the media world today. In the short film, Ivy Sole talks about how being in one place can make you change from the person you are at home. In the short film “Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma,” they also use words like mirror, drugs, rich, education, time, nappy, and more. The way these words are described in this film makes them relatable to people’s situations and life stories. As I watched the short film, I thought to myself, “wow, that’s my family, or I have done this before.”
The short film shows footage and pictures of unique scenes of African Americans’ lives throughout the 70s and beyond. There was also a great touch of digital media editing [J.M, Harper, Nate Katz, Simon Davis, Kao Cheng Kai, and Dara Hamidi] to keep the audience engaged with what writer and actor Topaz Jones is trying to say. Jones says initially that this was going to be a music video based on an album he did, but the video wasn’t enough. We even see Topaz reciting a couple of bars from his music throughout the film. Jones had to tell his story, which is an incredible story.
“Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma” gave me the vibes of an experimental musical documentary. This film will inform you by merely using one word. I thought the film was inspirational. It made me want to ask my family members about our background. I also plan on checking out Topaz Jones’s music as well.
Sundance Review: ‘Night of the Kings,’ An Ode to the Power of Storytelling Sundance Shorts Review: ‘Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma’ by Topaz Jones
Loading…