Bush Mama is an American film made by Ethiopian-American directorHaile Gerima, part of the L.A. Rebellion movement of political and experimental black cinema in the 1970s. It was released in 1979 though made earlier, in 1975.[1]
The first half is filmed in a cinema vérité style, making heavy use of improvisation, while the second half moves away from naturalism towards a Godardian agit prop approach.[3]
Bush Mama is the story of Dorothy and her husband T.C. He is a discharged Vietnam veteran who thought he would return home to a "hero's welcome." Instead, he is falsely arrested and imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. Her life revolves around the welfare office and a community facing poverty and unemployment. As a result of the film's events, both the main characters become radicalized and Dorothy eventually turns to violence.
The film received "wide critical acclaim" and was "showcased at many major international film festivals."[4] The New York Times called it "fiery, furious, overflowing with rhetoric and slightly out of breath", praising the main actors but saying the director's fierce polemic sometime overwhelms the dramatic aspects of the film.[5] In 2022, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress deeming it "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."[6][7]
^Tony Safford and William Triplett, "Haile Gerima: Radical Departures to a New Black Cinema". Journal of the University Film and Video Association, Vol. 35, No. 2, INDEPENDENT AMERICAN NARRATIVE FILMMAKING (Spring 1983), pp. 59-65
