“Chick flicks” of all ethnic persuasions have graced big and small screens for decades n Lifetime and its spawn the Lifetime Movie Network have even created a cable television niche by chronicling the emotional rollercoasters of women of all walks of life.
But T.D. Jakes, best-selling author and megapastor of the Potter’s House ministries, has decided to tap into the male species’ pool of feelings for Not Easily Broken, directed by Bill Duke, which hits theatres nationwide next Friday, Jan. 9.
“So many women today do not know how many men feel about relationships because so many stories are written from the female perspective,” Jakes said.
“If we don’t like the images, we have to tell our own story. And this is an opportunity to give a balanced description.”
The film is based on Jakes’ novel of the same name and stars Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson alongside St. Louis natives Niecy Nash and Jennifer Lewis.
Director Bill Duke attempts to capture the emotions of the black man by showcasing the marital struggles of Dave and Clarice (Chestnut and Henson).
Not Easily Broken is Jakes’ follow-up to his big screen production debut of Woman Thou Art Loosed in 2004 n also based on Jakes’ best-selling book of the same name.
His latest film revolves around two people failing to coexist as they run in opposite directions from the middle ground of their marriage. Clarice is chasing her career goals while simultaneously neglecting her home life. Dave is pouring himself into extracurricular activities with a little league baseball team as an attempt to experience fatherhood vicariously through the boys he coaches.
A traumatic incident strips away their external scapegoats, forcing them to confront the issues that have ripped their marriage to shreds.
“You need something outside of a man and a woman to hold a relationship together,” Jakes said. “It is our faith element. The movie gives an opportunity to see the practicality of faith and see how it plays out in the drama of life.”
Jakes allowed Chestnut to produce the film along with him and Chestnut is grateful for the chance to do so.
“Bishop Jakes has allowed me to wear more than just an actors hat,” Chestnut said. “I learned so much from him.”
But in order to perform effectively his leading man duties for Not Easily Broken, Chestnut said that had to learn to tackle the character from the inside out.
“Most of the roles I’ve done have been strong male figures that didn’t deal with vulnerability,” Chestnut said. “It causes me to look at my own situation.”
“We are told that men have a difficulty expressing our emotions and our feelings,” said Jakes. “We do have a difficulty because we have been trained not to show our emotions. You are telling a three-year-old not to show his emotions n to ‘man up.’”
Through Not Easily Broken, Jakes and Chestnut hope to create a new film style that will allow for a reversal of the generations of unhealthy emotional guidance that that has been imposed on boys n black boys, in particular. As Jakes said, he wants to open a “floodgate of buddy flicks that are not dependent on violence.”
“Images are extremely powerful,” Chestnut said. “This is a great opportunity for art to reinforce life.”
Not Easily Broken opens in theatres nationwide on Friday, January 9. The film is rated PG-13 with a running time of 99 minutes.