Bronx Gothic

Bronx Gothic is a riveting and intimate documentary film from 2017 that offers a dramatic, engrossing, and innovative exploration of the world of performance art and storytelling. The film deep dives into the life and work of performer Okwui Okpokwasili, who is not only the film's primary focus, but also its star, co-writer, and co-director. Displaying a ferocious passion and commitment to her medium, Okpokwasili reveals her unique artistic journey and process while addressing themes of womanhood, race, and sexuality rigorously and with raw honesty.

Directed by Andrew Rossi and co-written with Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter Born, Bronx Gothic is driven by a powerful and heartbreaking one-woman show, also named Bronx Gothic, created and performed by Okpokwasili. She introduces the audience to two preteen girls living in the Bronx—their pains, struggles, hopes, and dreams—through a dynamic blend of song, dance, drama, and the written word, creating a sweeping tale of growing up in the 1980s Bronx that is both deeply personal and widely relatable.

The documentary is much more than a straightforward record of Okpokwasili's performance. It is a hybrid film, interweaving pieces of the live show with scenes of Okpokwasili's daily life, discussions of the show's artistic underpinnings, and reflections on her own life and experiences as a woman of color. The film provides an extensive study of Okpokwasili's artistic process, allowing audiences to grasp the immense physical and emotional discipline her art requires.

This dual focus allows audiences to glean something of Okpokwasili's working methods and her unique approach to performance and storytelling. There are sequences featuring the performer and choreographer rehearsing and refining her movements and monologues. Still, there are also moments of calm where Okpokwasili discusses her work with Peter Born, co-creator of Bronx Gothic, and with other collaborators, providing viewers with a privileged glimpse into the development of a continuously evolving performance.

Visually, Bronx Gothic is both simple and striking. Rossi's unobtrusive direction often makes the camera seem invisible, making the viewer a ghost in Okpokwasili's world. Inside Okpokwasili's rehearsals, the film captures moments of intense physicality and stark emotional revelation imbued with a unique cinematic quality. Much of the documentary is shot in dim, muted lights, where Okpokwasili's form is frequently seen in silhouette or starkly lit by a single light source, emphasizing the isolation and vulnerability inherent to her performance.

Okpokwasili is a magnetic presence throughout, commanding the screen with an undeniable intensity whether she is performing, reflecting, or wrestling with the past. Her commitment to her art and the catharsis it offers is as palpable as it is moving. She threads trauma and triumph together with an emotional honesty rarely seen on screen and an acuity that leaves a lasting impression.

Bronx Gothic is more than a powerful performance; it is a wholly personal narrative coming to life. Okpokwasili's words are not just sketches of imagined characters but fragments of her own past. This aspect of the film makes it a compelling exploration of memory, growth, and catharsis, viewed through the prism of one woman's life, but deeply universal in its resonance.

Moving, raw, and innovative on all fronts, Bronx Gothic offers a compelling exploration of art and memory, told through Okpokwasili's powerful performance. More than just a retelling or portraying of her stage show, Bronx Gothic is a beautiful amalgamation of documentary, biography, and artistic exploration that leaves viewers with a deep appreciation for Okpokwasili's talent in navigating and expressing the universal human experience.