Recently, the movie “Ghost Song” portrayed young people living on the “edge” in Houston in an atmospheric way, and how they longed for inner peace and even redemption, which caused a sensation at the film festival. It tells the story of rapper and recording artist OMB Bloodbath, who hails from the city’s black heritage Third Ward neighborhood, and finds herself on an introspective journey while burying a friend. We also meet Will and Nate, two wealthy Houstonians who have both been disowned by their wealthy families as they battle drug addiction. This happened against the backdrop of Houston, a city full of contradictions.
Houston, Texas is home to NASA, Parks and the Bay and the hometown of Beyonce. But like many large cities, crime is unusually high, and of course storms and floods are frequent. It’s a city of doers and doers, and it’s also easily consumed by its nasty drug-driven foibles and other social problems. In this chaotic city, our three unequal protagonists fight for survival. There seems to be an unspoken desire to create a new life, punctuated by music and chemical-fueled hallucinogen escapes.
Will was born into a wealthy Houston family, the scion of wealthy oil tycoons, but he still didn’t belong, and he longed to find his place in the sun. His struggles are very real, and he uses music to escape ostracism with his partner Nate, who is trying to end his drug addiction.
Alexandra, also known as OMB Bloodbath, is a rapper from Third Ward, the birthplace of superstar Beyoncé, notably visionary director Wes Anderson and her uncle and mentor George Flo Ed. His death sparked the #Blacklivesmatter movement when the 46-year-old black man was brutally killed on camera by a white police officer during an arrest in Minneapolis in 2020.
The insinuations of violence came to light when Bloodbath revealed that her boyfriend Kenny Lou, another victim of the gang war, had been murdered. She was also wounded in a similar shooting and is trying to break free from her violent past. This is more challenging than she anticipated, as she may see her quest for a fresh start in jeopardy.
While Will and Alexandra never crossed narratively, their similar concerns, challenges, and introspection are connected through music, and a wide variety of music, from blues, rap, and jazz to hip-hop and gospel. The opera sets the scene for another looming hurricane to hit the city, lending a heavy, sultry atmosphere not only to the movie but to what’s to come.
And that is precisely a statement that there is no escape from the coming storm. Despite best efforts, it was inevitable, just like the existing social system in Houston.
Directed by: Nicolas Peduzzi
