AfroPoP Digital Shorts, the streaming series from Black Public Media (BPM) that offers narrative and documentary short films about Black issues from around the world, returns with a new episode this December with “Spare Me”by Wilderley Mauricette. The series, which spotlights established and emerging voices in film, shone a headlight on the horrors of present-day traveling while Black through a sundown town with the October selection “Sundown Road”
by M. Asli Dukan.
This month, AfroPoP Digital Shorts is back with Mauricette’s short for a historical take on the same issue, this time following a young man’s trip along Floridian roads. “Spare Me” premiered on Black Public Media’s YouTube Channel (@BlackPublicMedia) earlier this month.
Written and directed by Mauricette — who was born in Haiti and raised in Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida, —“Spare Me” provides audiences a unique take on road trip films and the bonds between fathers and sons. Set in 1930s Florida, the film follows a young man named Trey, portrayed by actor Brian Boyd. When his car suffers a breakdown, the normal anxiety that comes with needing to fix a flat tire on the side of the road is amplified as Trey finds himself in a race against time as he discovers he is in Sarasota, a sundown town.
Sundown towns are places where Black travelers risk harassment, physical attack or worse if they find themselves there after dark. As Trey works to fix the flat and leave before sundown, he must also confront haunting memories of a similar event from his past, one that altered his life forever.
While it is a fictional story, “Spare Me” presents viewers with a glimpse into the dark history of Sarasota. The film both offers a look back at the grim phenomenon of sundown towns and sounds the alarm to warn modern travelers about the current dangers outlined in a Blavity News article dated July 10, 2023, and titled “Sundown Towns And Road-Tripping While Black In 2023: What You Need To Know.”
“Spare Me,” which screened at 20 film festivals, was produced by Tony Gallucci. Ringling College of Art and Design was the executive producer. Kristoffer Jorns served as director of photography.
The cast of “Spare Me”
includes Brian Boyd, Michael Kinsey, Dave Pitts, Jeffery Kin, James Carney, Todd Freeman and Mark Eichorn.