Spike Lee | USA | 1990 | M
Talented trumpeter Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington) lives for his music, but his personal life is anything but in tune. Torn between two women (Joie Lee and Cynda Williams) and tied to his reckless childhood friend and manager, Giant (Spike Lee), Bleek is forced to confront how fragile his world really is. As pressures mount, he risks losing not only his relationships but the music that defines him.
Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues is a vibrant, emotionally rich tribute to jazz and the personal sacrifices demanded by artistic greatness. Shot in style by longtime collaborator Ernest R. Dickerson and backed by a powerhouse jazz score from the Branford Marsalis Quartet and Terence Blanchard, the film pulses with rhythm, heart and soul.
The stellar cast includes Spike Lee regulars Wesley Snipes, Giancarlo Esposito, John Turturro and Samuel L. Jackson, alongside jazz legends like Abbey Lincoln and Jeff “Tain” Watts.
Mo’ Better Blues is part of MIJF’s Jazz on Film series, taking place at ACMI, Fed Square and Palace Penny Lane Cinema.
