Spark is a 1998 psychological thriller film directed by Garret Williams in his directorial debut. It stars Terrence Howard, Nicole Ari Parker, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, and Brendan Sexton III. The film centers on a Black couple who become marooned in a backwater desert town after their car breaks down. Williams workshopped the film at the Sundance Filmmaker Labs.[1][2]
Spark had its world premiere at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and also screened at Berlinale.
Premise
Byron and Nina, a young Black couple from Chicago, are driving a BMW en route to Los Angeles, where Nina will be attending college. They are driving through a desert when they experience a car breakdown after accidentally hitting a dog. Mooney, a sullen teenager and son of a local mechanic, befriends the couple and tows them to a small town where they are charged $500 for repairs. When the BMW dies again, Byron and Nina are forced to stay overnight in a motel, but the situation grows increasingly grim as Byron starts spending more time with Mooney, whose true colors start to reveal a disturbing town story.
Cast
- Terrence Howard as Byron
- Nicole Ari Parker as Nina
- Sandra Ellis Lafferty as Deb
- Brendan Sexton III as Mooney
- Timothy McNeil as Stuart
- Tom Gilroy as Jack
- George Gerdes as Earl
- Dewey Weber as Tobey
- William Prael as Deputy
- William Bell as Otis
Release
Spark premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival in the American Spectrum section.[3] It also screened at Berlinale in February 1998.[4] At the 1998 Urbanworld Film Festival, the film was awarded the prize for Best Director for Garret Williams.[5]
Spark was released on DVD by Warner Bros. as part of the American Black Film Festival series on May 15, 2007.[6]
References
- ^ "Garret Williams". Film Independent. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ^ "Spark - Miscellaneous Notes". Turner Classic Movies Database. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ^ "American Spectrum and World Cinema Section Offer Diverse Group of Films; Frontier and Midnight Films". IndieWire. December 4, 1997. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ^ "Spark". berlinale.de. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ^ Coe, Michelle (May 1, 2000). "Funder FAQ: The Minnesota Independent Film Fund". Independent Magazine. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ^ Williams, Kam (May 2007). "DVD Review: Spark". blackfilm.com. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
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