Images courtesy of Marcellus Cox
In Jamarcus Rose and Da 5 Bullet Holes, the titular teen, played by emerging actor Duane Ervin, is a very talented baseball pitcher in Los Angeles. He adores the sport introduced to him by his late grandfather and has begun to attract the recruiting attention. At the same time, Jamarcus is a Black kid in a tough neighborhood living with his grandmother Esther, embodied by TV veteran Ruthie Austin of Snowfall. The sky might be the limit to his athletic potential, but there is a margin to where she cannot raise him any further to completion.
LESSON #1: BE THE RIGHT KIND OF STATISTIC—In this new short film from the talented writer-director Marcellus Cox, this wide-eyed and eager young man with his whole life in front of him is on the borderline of becoming a statistic. The question is whether he will be a positive one or a negative one. Without both of his birth parents, especially his father, Jamarcus lacks the fullest examples of how to be a man and not just a ball player. While he has the talent to lift himself out of the trappings of his environment and make something of himself, dangerous uncertainties of the wrong crowd, the wrong place, or the wrong time could snuff that out in an instant, turning Jamarcus Rose into another victim instead of a victory.
Jamarcus Rose and Da 5 Bullet Holes recognizes this tipping point and prescribes our lead character outside help. Recently, Esther signed Jamarcus up to have a mentor from the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, and it is the morning of their first official session. The teenager sees this idea as babysitting and is resistant to letting someone into his life, where he would rather spend his weekend scouting girls. In a heartfelt confrontation and an empowering performance moment from Ruthie Austin, Esther pleads the greater case to the kid who truly doesn’t know what he needs, to explain that she seeks her grandson to carry himself off the streets and with greater respect.
Enter Jasper, played by Stephen Cofield Jr. of Terrifier 3 and Marcellus Cox’s 2023 debut feature, Mickey Hardaway. He’s a married man working hard to start a family and is himself a product of a BBSA program after familial losses of his own when he was younger led to a positive mentor relationship. With unselfish attention and kind charisma, Jasper wins Jamarcus’s trust as the two bond over some casual baseball practice with the local kids.
LESSON #2: THOSE WHO HOPE SO AND THOSE WHO KNOW SO— As more of their congenial chit-chat comes out during a light game of catch while talking about Jamarcus’s future in baseball and getting out of the neighborhood’s troubles, Jamarcus gives a reply of “I hope so,” which is answered quickly by Jasper declaring “I know so.” That tiny exchange shows the hopeful beauty at the heart of Jamarcus and Da 5 Bullet Holes. There are those who grasp for optimism to hope, while others exude a confidence prepared for certainty. The film wants this good young man to reach a mindset like Jasper’s with solid personal choices.
LESSON #3: HAVING AN EMOTIONAL MENTOR— When the topic turns to Jamarcus’s mother, Jamarcus and Da 5 Bullet Holes trades the sunny soft toss for the static shadows of sitting in the bleachers. With ideal simplicity, darker light by cinematographer Jamil Gooding is used for a darker topic. Even through sharing and comparing their tragedies, Jasper strives for Jamarcus not to lose sight of his blessings. While Jasper may have given this kid a new ball glove and a standing invitation to some free-of-charge gym facilities to stay in shape, this type of quality time and support is the true gift and the immense value of an emotional mentor, and the cause of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America.
As a short-form storyteller, Marcellus Cox nails this thematical platform with his dialogue, and Cofield gives those lines the proper meaningful heft. All in all, the previous foreboding question remains for where Jamarcus’s life can go after this new partnership. The low angles and those aforementioned shadows which frame his home life are juxtaposed with the symbolic blue sky of potential above that ballfield. Will he be fortunate enough to emerge by way of his talent, or will violence claim another unnecessary soul? Jamarcus and Da 5 Bullet Holes marinates on that seesaw between the powerful and the unfortunate.
LOGO DESIGNED BY MEENTS ILLUSTRATED (#1380)
