Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project

This fantastic cosmic montage also reoccurs of dreaming about being blasted out into space. It features some of the most delicious afro-science-fiction imagery on this side of a Funkadelic album cover. It was wise to set this Mars or Bust concept as the headline draw of the documentary. Many more people like me will sit down for a watch if you wave a spaceship at us. It is also a great example of the empowerment inherent in the poems. What an idea that black women’s history of dealing with oppression and alienation would be cast as skills suited for Martian pioneers. Reworking this legacy of brutality into a beacon of intergalactic hope is pure genius.

“…will interest literature, history, and justice fans. And don’t forget the spaceships!”

Brewster and Stephenson obviously had their work cut out for them with the poet’s gaps in recollection. There are also huge sections that Giovanni keeps private. We learn absolutely nothing about her partner, Virginia Fowler, not who she is or how they met. The portrait they put together seems more complete because of these gaps. It is all part and parcel with Giovanni’s worldview in old age, which she is just as articulate about as she was about the revolution. The filmmakers understand the wealth of insights held by both the past and present poets as they keep up a great balance between the two.

A major controversy in her life over her views about celebrities being arrested while protesting apartheid is papered over with a confusion montage. This is probably all for the best, as any further detail will continue to misinterpret her whole beef on the matter. There is also a pacing issue, as it doesn’t seem clear by the halfway mark as to what we are heading forward. Yes, there is nothing I would leave out, as all the information is wonderful. It just seems to get stuck in an orbit around the material instead of voyaging through it. It is still an amazing planet to circle and one worth visiting. Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project will interest literature, history, and justice fans. And don’t forget the spaceships!