Marbles and Bullets

Marbles and Bullets - A Filmmakers Reflection

By Richard De Witt

I was inspired to make Marbles and Bullets through a sense of cosmic writing where the writing and story chooses the writer. I try to write by staying open to the voices of my time and place, the challenges faced by my biracial family, and the sensibility and balance of the universe. I feel that this way of writing was passed down to me by my mother, a schoolteacher who loved human diversity. I believe that making movies, especially those that go beyond entertainment, is a life force on its own. The film is a cinematic poem about the human experience and the ongoing cycle of life with all its natural flaws. The film challenges viewers to consider what link in the chain of life they consider themself and whether they will use that to live in light, balance, and harmony or be pulled down into darkness.

As a filmmaker, I made the movie Marbles and Bullets as a response to the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the societal changes that followed. It was originally written in 2001 to reflect on the country's troubled past in a parable-like manner, in order to offer a glimmer of hope for the future. And, though Marbles and Bullets takes place during the American Civil War it has a message for all time. It tells the story of, and explores the power dynamic and relationship between, the two main characters who are opposites on every level; an illiterate Caucasian Confederate soldier, and a literate ten-year-old slave boy, as they wander through the woods on a journey home. I intended the story to challenge audiences to rise above the dark and unrelenting history of U.S. racial culture and politics, in order to offer a point of dialogue and conversation that starts from the point of view of universal love, humanity, listening, and understanding. Our film addresses important social issues that positively affect humanity, ranging from racial justice and equity issues, to the power of literacy, and the repercussions of U.S. history on today's politics and cultural challenges. We believe Marbles and Bullets is a thought-provoking and unique film that sheds light on these important topics.

Over the years of production, Marbles and Bullets was affected by various, catastrophic events, including political and cultural anarchy, violence, a biological and psychological pandemic, environmental collapse, and continuing social and economic division. As a result, the message of the film shifted from being a beacon for a new cultural and political renaissance to a story about looking at the darkness of the past and trying to find the light for a brighter future.

The heightened race-related themes of the film are a call to action for audiences around the world. The stories woven together to create the film's plot are based on historical and fictionalized premises, using the philosophies and ideas of both black slave writers and contemporary black authors as inspiration. The entire film is a parable about the power of love and literacy, the relevance of humanity, as well as the history and role of human slavery. Marbles and Bullets was actually filmed in the deep American South at the height of tensions, as the United States once again dangerously descended into a racially charged rhetoric of civil war.
But, through the power of understanding and friendship, our multiracial team created a beautiful piece of art in the face of hatred and ugliness. The film itself is groundbreaking cinema in that it is the first pairing of a young black child actor and an adult white male actor on screen together. The film is meant to be a Mark Twain-type parable about the power of love, communication, and literacy, over violence and hatred. It is a journey narrative similar to Huckleberry Finn.

As a filmmaker, what's most important to me is that an audience emotionally connects with my films before understanding them.

Movies are so very powerful in our world, they are dreams that never vanish...