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Preview by: Jack Foley
SPIKE Lee joints are usually great places to hang out for cinema-goers,
particularly as the director is seldom one to shy away from controversial
issues.
His most recent effort, The 25th
Hour, rated as one of the film’s of last year - tackling
the 24-hour tale of a drug dealer attempting to sort his life
out, during the course of the day, in a post-September 11 New
York.
For his latest, Lee appears to be taking on the corporations,
and corporate greed, in a story that looks set to be similarly
explosive.
She Hate Me stars Anthony Mackie as Harvard, MBA-educated biotech
executive, John Henry ‘Jack’ Armstrong, who gets fired
when he informs on his colleagues and prompts an investigation
into their business dealings.
Out of work, and desperate for cash, Armstrong receives an offer
from his ex-girlfriend, Fatima (Kerry Washington), that if he
impregnates her, she will pay him handsomely.
Yet, when word spreads that Armstrong is willing to do the same
for lesbians everywhere, at a mere $10,000 a go, he finds lesbians
with a desire for motherhood lining up to seek his services.
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Far from simplifying his life, however, things quickly become
more complicated, particularly as his former employees are also
looking to blame him for their companies misdemeanours.
The film co-stars the likes of John Turturro, Ellen Barkin, Woody
Harrelson, Monica Bellucci and Q-Tip and is scheduled to open
in US cinemas this Summer.
Lee says he was inspired to write and direct the film by the
recent events involving Enron, Worldcom and Halliburton, among
others.
"These corporations had some shaky people at the top, so
I decided to pair that line of enquiry with the idea of sex and
procreation," he explains.
"It’s a volatile mixture, but this film is also a commentary
on the hypocrisy of America on the issue of sex. I wanted to raise
questions about the decline of morals and ethics in America -
from the boardroom to the bedroom."
Lee maintains that in present day America, there appears to exist
a grey line between morality and ethics, stating that there is
a growing feeling that people will do anything for money.
Adds the director: "Every human being is going to have to
make a choice, and the choice you make will depend upon your ethics
and your morals. People have to deal with the consequences of
those choices."
The film which results ought to make for interesting and challenging
viewing.
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