The first ten minutes of One Spoon of Chocolate were so intense and gruesome that I almost walked out of the theater. I decided to stay, and the next day, I am still thinking about it.
The film stars Unique, played by Shameik Moore, who I wasn't familiar with, but I thought he was excellent in the role. Unique was just released from prison and is on parole. He convinces his parole officer to let him relocate to Ohio to live with his cousin, Ramsey, his only remaining family.
He lands in a small town called Karensville (unsure if this is a real town name or was used to set the scene, I'm going to guess the second). What starts as a hopeful fresh start quickly turns into the opposite.
While playing basketball at the community center, Unique and Ramsey are confronted by a group of white men who spew racist slurs and demand they leave, as well as give up their ball and sneakers. Unique says they'll leave, but refuses the rest, and shortly after a fight breaks out. Unique wins that fight, but things only escalate from there. The group sets out on a violent, racially driven mission to destroy them, and ideally kill them. As the story unfolds, we learn the whole town is complicit, from the liquor store worker to the coroner, and worst of all, the sheriff, who is the father of the group's leader.
This film is very very disturbing. The racism and violence are extreme. There’s illegal organ trafficking. The sadness is heavy. Most of the time, it feels hopeless for the black characters when every part of the system is against them. I'm not sure I can say I liked this movie… but I didn’t hate it either. What I can say is that I felt incredibly tense the entire time, I had to cover my eyes during several scenes (which I saw others doing), and I was worried I would have nightmares (thankfully, I did not).
There are brief moments of hope, especially when Unique decides to fight back. That part of the film had the audience cheering, clapping, and even laughing. Just as you feel hopeful that the story might end well, the film ends abruptly, which is unsatisfying.
I wouldn’t call this film enjoyable. What I can say is that it made me feel tense, angry, nauseous, sad, and at times hopeful. It's also one that makes you think about racism and violence in the US. It’s a brutal film, and not one I would have ever sought out on my own.
I went to the premiere, and afterward, RZA, who directed it, asked the audience if the film made them uncomfortable. Many people said yes. It seemed like he accomplished what he wanted to.
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