The story of Tre is an American story. It is tied into the identity of that nation. Tre's story is one of survival and all the pieces of that painful survival. There is a reason why the National Film Registry and Library of Congress recognize it.
Tre is blessed with remarkable parents. Bassett and Fishburne are idealized human beings while also being grounded in an honest reality. We are shown how this blessing for Tre is what saves him from what the world and his country have in store for him. His strength, his survival is rooted in the love, strength, and survival of his family. His world is one where he is a prince and his father is a king. They matter. They are important. This is about learning to be a man in a world that doesn't see black men as men.
Singleton contrasts Tre's experience with the other boys in his neighbourhood but he doesn't do this simplistically. His portrait of the community is nuanced and complex all within a compelling and riveting story. While Tre gets the love and support he needs, many around him do not. Boyz shows us this reality so clearly and brilliantly.
There is a moment near the beginning where Singlton invokes Stand By Me, the kids are walking along train tracks when someone says "wanna see a dead body?" The film shows us this is nothing like the experience of the four boys in Stand. This isn't that story. This is another understanding of the American coming of age story. It is a story of visceral emotion. It's no fairy tale. You feel what happens physically in your stomach. Singleton's power is in putting you as the audience into the story.
I've always been drawn to the relationship between Furious and Tre, father and son. I love the way the film explores how two-way it is. Furious is an amazing father but he makes it clear that it is being Tre's father that is a big part of what makes him the man he is. It isn't just about a father raising his son, it's about what that role does to make you into the person you can be. I was always taken with this but as I became a father it resonated so resoundingly.
Boyz has a dream cast. Gooding Jr. in his breakthrough performance gives one of the most complex performances I've seen him do. His "I'm so tired of this shit" scene breaks me down every time I see it. He bears the weight of black male frustration on his shoulders and Gooding Jr. expresses it. I especially love Ferrell as the tragic Brenda Baker with all she has going on. Her roller coaster arcs are more than anyone should have to endure and Farrell captures it all. But for me I love watching Fishburne and Bassett together. I can't take my eyes off them, especially Fishburne. He is iconic here as Furious. He is the opposite of toxic masculinity even before that was something we deconstructed.
Boyz' analysis of racial and gender relations is intricate and powerful. While it was part of a movement at the time of black film makers pushing back against the white cinematic hegemony, I always felt it went the farthest with its voice. It was brave and succeeded because of that boldness, not in spite of it.
Boyz has so much to say but even without all of that, the film is just gorgeous and watchable. I never tire of watching it. I can put it on and get pulled into its story, I can feel it all over again. It is both very much a moment in time and timeless. Decades later and it remains so relevant, it resonates so profoundly. Singleton may never have matched his debut but his legacy will always be with us and we are so lucky for that.
Boyz n the Hood
Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Ice Cube, Regina King, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Tyra Ferrell, Dedrick D. Gobert
Writer/director: John Singleton
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