Street: Can you tell us a little bit about “The Suspect?” Stuart Connelly: “The Suspect” is a psychological thriller that touches on the hot button issue of racial profiling.
Street: What makes it different from other films that deal with racism? SC: Recently, we were selected to compete at the American Black Film Festival. When we saw the other films, all of them showed the tragedy of racism with ghettos, drugs, food stamp programs or truancy officers—things that made you feel bad, but didn’t specifically talk about race.
Our film is the opposite. The text is all about race, but the subtext is the thriller storyline. Our characters challenge each other about racial bias. It’s in your face. Race is an issue that people of all colors feel uncomfortable talking about; to have characters in movies calling each other racists is unusual.
Street: What made you want to make this movie? SC: I wrote a book with Dr. Martin Luther King’s closest advisor and speechwriter, Clarence B. Jones. I worked on the book for about a year with him, and we got pretty close. He said to me, “Stuart, you should carry on Dr. King’s legacy when I’m gone. In the time we have spent together, you have gotten to understand who this man was, not only what he stood for, but what made him tick. I want to make sure that after I’m gone the world still knows.”
I’m a relatively young white guy, and this struck me. I’m not a historian and don’t tend to write non-fiction, but the book, Behind the Dream, was a success. I wanted to bring attention to Dr. King’s legacy by writing a fictional film script that teaches you and makes you think.
Street: So, you’re hoping people will walk away thinking differently about race? SC: We all have biases. We may not think we’re racist, but the film challenges you. Even my most liberal and open-minded friends who have seen the film have said, “I didn’t connect x with y, and I wonder what that says about me.” We all have baggage, but the more open-minded you are, the easier it is to ignore. We want people to look into their hearts and see if there is improvement to be made. When you leave you can’t help but examine your own thoughts on race.
Street: Did you have any challenges making the film? People typically steer away from talking about racism. Did you have trouble presenting it or getting financial support? SC: Financial backing is always gonna be a challenge, but I did find the script resonated. Some felt it wasn’t commercial; those investing purely to make a profit could find better success with another project. But those who did respond to it felt very strongly.
When I was first showing it to investors, Obama had recently been elected. It seemed like we were making important strides, but the people I talked to felt Obama represented the “safe” type of African American. When I was talking to Clarence, I asked him if Obama had darker skin would he have succeeded. And Clarence said absolutely not. Same exact person, just darker skin, and it would have made all the difference, in his opinion.
This stuff is far from over, in my opinion. The investors felt that, too. They thought this voice needed to be added to the conversation. It’s dangerous to say that since we have an African American president our problem is solved, because it just isn’t.
Street: Is there anything else you want to add? SC: It is a Philadelphia film, and we are local filmmakers. One of our actors, Rebecca Creskoff, is a Philadelphia resident and a Penn graduate.
And I don’t want people to come away with the idea that this is a message movie. Race is not just a message layered on; it’s the engine that drives the thriller. It’s hard to describe if you haven’t seen it, but it’s just a lot of fun. And it’s definitely a thinking person’s film, no question about it.
“The Suspect” will be shown twice during the 22nd Annual Philadelphia Film Festival: on October 19th at 2:25pm at Cinemark (4012 Walnut Street at 40th) and on October 26th at 9:45pm at Prince Music Theater (1412 Chestnut Street at Broad). The trailer and more information about the film can be found at http://thesuspectmovie.com.
