Black Cop is the newest film from writer, actor, director, producer (and yes, Trailer Park Boy) Cory Bowles. It follows a black cop who, when faced with injustices, struggles with the imbalances of power and his own temptations to wield it against the people he has sworn to protect.
“The film was inspired by a phenomenon in North America, Across Canada, U.S., but it tends to resonate in any community it plays,” says Bowles. “Every time a high-profile or even small-profile incident happens, we are profoundly affected by it, and then when we talk about it, it is met with a wall of dismissal and vitriol.”
The character is put into an impossible position: as a black police officer he finds himself alienated from both the community and the people he works with. He’s forced to endure a constant barrage of injustices until he snaps under the pressure. He reverses the roles, cornering the privileged white members of the community and subjecting them to the same standards.
“It’s all about power. He goes in with the idea that a police officer has authority over people, that they are role models but also protectors. But the idea of power over people is intriguing, and it’s common. Again, it’s that idea of social and racial power structure that I explore in most of my movies. Institutions like law are corrupted because of power, which, of course, is the central issue in much of this dynamic we exist in. People in racialized communities or situations—no matter what—are made to feel powerless, and that standard—as a standard—can seep into the norm.”
Ronnie Rowe Jr. does an amazing job in the titular role. Rowe shoulders what is essentially a monologue of a film, and his delivery of such a conflicted character, struggling with a broad spectrum of emotions and yet channeling it with such intensely inherent purpose, is chilling.
“[Ronnie Rowe Jr.] is amazing in every way,” confirms Bowles. “He went in with humility and honesty. It was challenging and he faced it head on. It’s a prime example of what happens when an artist is committed to servicing a story as their foremost intention.”
Black Cop first appeared in 2015 when Bowles made a short by the same name. It followed a similar premise to the feature film created a year later, focusing on a few incidents as seen via dash cam and chest mount.
“Then after that, I knew what the character could be,” says Bowles.
“I’ve had different elements of this perspective for a long time. Most of my stories touch on some aspect of that conflict: identity and perspective amid social and power structure—particularly racial. The idea of Black cop came somewhere in 2014, but then it was a more comic and over-the-top idea. But that same year was a barrage of high profile incidents that really made a collective impact on the community. By the time I made the short in 2015, it was a direct response to social media. Afterward it was a cathartic process to write the feature but it took about four weeks in 2016.”
The resulting film is profound. It’s Scorsese’s masterpiece Taxi Driver meets the bitter pill of B.F. Skinner’s Walden Two. The film forces us to see society flipped on its head in a way that should be perceived as being absurd, and rather than a cliché of over-the-top filmmaking, it’s exactly the point.
Bowles says that the response to the film, despite the uncomfortable nature of its difficult subject matter, has been largely positive, and has spurred a conversation on the topic of racial tensions.
“People who want to see it are usually there because they want that conversation. But on the other hand, I expect some less-than-stellar responses. That’s not including just the odd review or matter of taste, but people that look at the face value of it and want to be mad at something. But I’m also indifferent about that because I’m not trying to change anything. I’m just examining it, and presenting an experience.
The movie did change the mind of some audience members that spoke to me in Kansas, though, as mentioned, they were in the crowd of ‘I need to understand what I’m seeing one side of’. But I’m not the optimistic type. I embrace the landscape and I move in it. That way when there is change, or there is that one person that approaches you and says, ‘I feel for what that person went through and I want to listen…’ then it makes it all the more rewarding.”
Aside from the impressive acting abilities of Ronnie Rowe Jr. (and seriously, Star Trek: Discovery, Rowe deserves better than “random communications officer man“), Bowles gives credit to his producing partner, Aaron Horton, and the rest of their creative team. “This was a small and challenging project we did with a lot of obstacles with time and resources, and everyone really pulled it together so I would love to congratulate them on this and thank everyone at home for the massive support we’ve had since it came out.”
Rarely does a film achieve both such societal importance and watchability. It will leave you questioning and possibly doing a bit of introspection. Black Cop is an absolute must-see.
Black Cop will be showing as the closing film to the Halifax Black Film Festival on March 4th, 2018.
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