The title Jamarcus Rose & Da 5 Bullet Holes doesn’t quite do this impressive indie movie justice. It sounds like a crime drama, or maybe a rap album, but it’s an emotional short well crafted by writer-director Marcellus Cox. And it’s one of the rare short films that deserves to be much bigger.
Cox packs a sizeable amount of character and backstory into this 23-minute short. Jamarcus Rose is a talented teen baseball player, but his grandmother is desperate for him to have a positive male role model following the deaths of his father and grandfather. At this point, viewers may think they know this film—here’s another story about a wayward kid, particularly a teenager of color, whose life needs to be turned around. But Cox, while touching on that idea, has more to offer.
Jamarcus Rose & Da 5 Bullet Holes follows Jamarcus as he spends some time with Jasper, his assigned mentor from Big Brothers. The performances by actors Stephen Cofield Jr. and Duane Ervin are wonderfully understated; the interactions between their characters feel natural, and Cox resists the urge to have either character lean into archetypes. He also reveals a lot about both Jamarcus and Jasper, which makes the audience want to know more about them—not only as a pair, but as individuals. There is a feature-length movie hiding in this short; Cox could easily expound upon both Jasper and Jamarcus’ stories before bringing them together, or just show far more of their day and further develop their rapport. Cofield Jr. and Ervin can certainly hold the viewers’ attention for that long.
Jamarcus Rose & Da 5 Bullet Holes is said to be “inspired by true events,” so it’s unknown how much material Cox had to work with and how much more could be said. But the characters he creates out of these true events are genuinely interesting people. And while there’s some deserved discussion about Black youth, the film is not solely accessible to Black audiences. Baseball is a key part of the narrative, and fans know how many young people use sports as an escape from their lives, not just in a general emotional sense, but how some young athletes see it as a chance—sometimes their only chance—to get out of their difficult circumstances. That’s something that everyone can understand, regardless of race. Viewers know what these two characters’ dreams are (because it’s not just about Jamarcus) and get to the final minutes wanting to see them achieve them.
Unfortunately, this is where the title acts as an unintentional spoiler. Those watching are just waiting for the latter half of the title to become relevant. It casts a pall over the first part of the movie, and there is no shock value at the end. Cox may not have been trying to surprise the audience so much as make an emotional statement. Even so, it would be a better film if viewers were able to fully immerse themselves in the joy of Jamarcus and Jasper connecting with each other, without that lurking sense of dread. The score by Paul Mottram is also a bit obtrusive; it’s cool that Mottram seems to be going for a Field of Dreams-esque sound, but it’s too pronounced.
Yet on the whole, there’s a lot to love about Jamarcus Rose & Da 5 Bullet Holes. The characters are beyond well-developed for a 23-minute short, the actors are sincere in their performances, and Cox doesn’t utilize any tired archetypes. It would be fantastic to see a feature-length film spending more time with these characters, and seeing more of what the actors can do with them. But in the absence of that, Jamarcus Rose is a bittersweet movie that reminds the audience not to judge anyone by their circumstances.
Jamarcus Rose & Da 5 Bullet Holes is currently playing at select film festivals, and will have a limited theatrical premiere Sept. 11-17 at Laemmle Monica Film Center in Los Angeles, CA. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Eric Quincy.
Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.
