The surreal and the documentary combine to describe the private hell of a Black Vietnam War veteran in Ashes and Embers, a new film by Ethiopian-born, D.C.-based director Haile Gerima, whose previous films include Bush Mama and Harvest: 3,000 Years. Gerima employs a rhythmic montage to move between the film's shifting and contrasting worlds of past and present, reality and dream, Far East and east coast. John Anderson is featured as the alienated vet, Ned Charles, whose experience becomes emblematic of the oppression and resilience of American Blacks in a variety of milieus: Washington, D.C., with its largely Black population and inherent contradictions; rural Virginia, deceptively peaceful, and rich in Black history; and Los Angeles, where dreams are made and Black reality is a nightmare. Already eight years out of Vietnam, Ned Charles is still screaming--at his activist girlfriend, his old friends, and his ancient grandmother (Evelyn Blackwell in an exceptional performance). "Ashes and Embers establishes Gerima as among the most interesting and original narrative filmmakers on the current scene" (Village Voice).

(Cancelled due to print not arriving ; Nothing But a Man substituted)