This microshort was created by Julian Yuri Rodriguez for the O, Miami Poetry Festival in 2013.
It is an adaptation of the poem “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks.
Here it is in its entirety:
The Pool Players.
Seven at the Golden Shovel.
We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon.
"From the cutting and pushing edge Miami wrecking production crew, Borscht Corp. here is SOMOS CHAVALOS, adopted and directed by Julian Yuri Rodriguez. It is a modern urban Latino youth interpretation of the Gwendolyn Brooks’ brief and majorly significant poem, We Be Cool. What’s raw and real here is that this perspective is unapologetic and from the youth direct, made searing by the disconcerting casually tragic POV of their short term life. This aint no outsider looking in told tale as we often are given these stories. If we want to ‘get kids these days’ we gotta dig under the surface and give weight to their reality. Do that by really listening between the lines and implications. The street family and code of honor, for all its criminality and corruption, offers a place of respect, love and pocket money – a badge of status – for lower class kids. The easiness and eagerness with which they pursue this avenue of survival is a critical discussion to engage.
Julian (24) may be young blood but his provocative in your face style has this between the lines intensity and import." -Chicana from Chicago
Julian Yuri Rodriguez was born and lives in Miami, Florida. His short films, music videos, and web projects have been screened locally and internationally in art venues and film festivals including Fantasia, New Orleans, and Slamdance and have been awarded jury prizes from festivals in Tolouse, France and Atlanta.
His work has been profiled in Filmmaker Magazine, Film Threat, Hammer to Nail, Aint It Cool News, and SPIN Magazine. Julian Yuri Rodriguez is currently developing his first feature film slated for 2015 and has just been chosen to be a part of the Sundance Knight Foundation Fellowship program for their 2014 festival.
website: JulianYuri.com