Bush Mama. 1975. USA. Directed by Haile Gerima. With Barbara O. Jones, Johnny Weathers, Susan Williams. 97 min.
Tackling questions of class, race, and gender inequality, Gerima’s stark, gripping blend of vérité-style docudrama and Brechtian agitprop tells the story of welfare recipient Dorothy (Jones). Embodying a woman striving to keep her fractured family together in LA’s impoverished Watts district, the tall, striking Jones gives a soulful, mesmerizing performance. Filmmaker’s own 35mm print.