Conjure Women

Some art is small and self-involved. Good art is so large in spirit, it cannot be contained. The art and artists featured in Conjure Women are of the large variety. In this film, which is its own work of art, we meet several African-American female artists, each mining their personal and collective black histories for transcendence and healing. Choreographer Anita Gonzalez relives slavery and her own childhood through dance and intonation. Robbie McCauley, performance artist, stages a theatrical dialogue with a white woman about white guilt over racism. In fact, while Conjure Women may appear to be about the long-simmering urgency and strength of the black female artist, it ends up reminding the viewer of the simple, cathartic power of seeing the self, seeing experience reinterpreted, which, of course, is art. Filmmaker Demetria Royals artful approach reminds us of our own changing vision and the dangers of straightjacket thinking. The price tag on this film is big, but so is its potency. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (A. Laker)