Evolution of a Criminal

Darius Clark Monroe is yet another nonfiction filmmaker who uses his own story as a means of reaching a degree of healing closure. In this case, Monroe seeks a cinematic exorcism of a youthful crime: as a 16-year-old in Texas, Monroe participated in a bank robbery that eventually led to his arrest and a five-year prison sentence. Upon his release, Monroe made his way to New York University, where he studied filmmaking (Spike Lee, an executive producer here, was one of his professors). Now, Monroe returns to his hometown to meet on camera anyone who had some involvement with his criminal actions. Included here are interviews with his mother and stepfather, the prosecuting attorney who put him behind bars, and family and friends that knew Monroe in his youth. A few are not happy to meet Monroe again, including a bank guard who witnessed the crime (which is dramatically re-enacted here). Monroe frames his actions as part of the larger argument that African-American men are victims of an environment in which generational cycles of poverty lead to a disproportionate level of crimes. While there is genuine truth to that train of thought, Monroe's self-focused journey ultimately becomes a little tedious. Optional. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)