Sayeed’s competent short film follows a young man through a violent ordeal on an inner-city street. The scene is replayed from different angles as the filmmaker breaks away from linear narratives. “She Walked” purposely remains ambiguous as to the roles and fates of its characters. This indistinct style hurts the film if you’re looking for cohesiveness, but if you’re in the market for films which refrain from shoving a message down your throat; this beautifully shot film might fit the bill.
The stunning cinematography is no surprise for those familiar with the film’s director. Watch the credits of your favorite Spike Lee movies and chances are Sayeed’s name will scroll by before not too long. He got his start as “Crooklyn’s” (1994) Best Boy. His career progressed quickly; serving as Director of Photography for “Clockers” (1995) and “Girl 6” (1996). Two years later, the talented cinematographer worked on “He Got Game” and “Belly,” the latter earning him an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
“She Walked” came about when Sayeed participated in a cinematic version of the “exquisite corpse” creation method. Only allowed to see part of the previous collaborator’s writings, the new participants take the story in their own directions creating an exquisite corpse. The end product of this surrealist creation method is a beautiful, although disjointed, non-linear story that leaves the floor open for questions for the viewer to answer for themselves. Revisiting a scene multiple times usually helps make sense of its happenings. In this case, collecting bits of knowledge, clues, and images as they fly through the frame can only get one so far. The vagueness and uncertainty creates a film that seems more like a jigsaw puzzle missing a few pieces than a coherent theme-driven piece.
