Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami
Synopsis
Larger than life, wild, scary and androgynous – Grace Jones plays all these parts. Yet here we also discover her as a lover, daughter, mother, sister and even grandmother, as she submits herself to our gaze and allows us to understand what constitutes her mask.
The stage is where her most extreme embodiments are realised and her theatrical imagination lets loose: this is where the musical of her life is played out. The film includes Grace's unique performances singing iconic hits such as 'Slave To The Rhythm', 'Pull Up To The Bumper', as well as the more recent autobiographical tracks 'Williams' Blood' and 'Hurricane'. These personal songs also link to Grace’s family life, as the film takes us on a holiday road trip across Jamaica, where her family roots and the story of her traumatic childhood are uncovered.
In Jamaican patois, ‘Bloodlight’ is the red light that illuminates when an artist is recording and ‘Bami’ means bread, the substance of daily life. Sophie Fiennes' film weaves together the layers of Grace Jones’ public and private life, as she moves effortlessly between different facets: she is gypsy, artist and partying hedonist, warm and funny but also a fierce and tenacious businesswoman. The performance continues to move thematically though the film, with 'Love Is The Drug' acting like an aria, bringing the film to its final and most touching scenes. This is a Grace we have not seen before, someone who reminds us of what it is to dare to be truly alive.
Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2017 - TIFF Docs - World premiere
Details
- Year
- 2017
- Type of film
- Features
- Running Time
- 115 mins
- Director
- Sophie Fiennes
- Producer
- Katie Holly, Sophie Fiennes, Beverly Jones, Shani Hinton
- Executive Producer
- Christine Langan, Joe Oppenheimer, Lizzie Francke, Keith Potter, Francesca von Habsburg, Danielle Ryan, Alan Maher, James Wilson, Émilie Blézat
- Editor
- Sophie Fiennes
- Director of Photography
- Remko Schnorr
- Music
- Grace Jones; Musical Director: Ivor Guest
- Principal Cast
- Grace Jones, Jean-Paul Goude, Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare
- Film Image
- © Grace Jones / Sligoville Limited / Blinder Films Limited / The British Film Institute / British Broadcasting Corporation 2017
Production status
Complete
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Last updated 4th September 2017
