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surveillance camera. After Lilâ Mama returns briefly and turns the camera back on, Aisha makes it appear as if Dease is raping her. Caught on video, the ladies plan on giving the evidence to the governor. When Lilâ Mama attempts to take the tape in Dease's office, Dease harasses and rapes her. When she returns to the jail cell, bleeding profusely and in terrible pain, the other inmates rush her to the infirmary where she suffers a miscarriage and dies. The inmates, who are violently upset, attack the doctor as he attempts to call Dease to have them escorted back to their jail cells. They hold the doctor at gunpoint and handcuff
Michael to a chair. Wet shoots Dease as he enters and he in return fires a shot and hits the doctor. Nelson, informed of the situation, refuses to call the governor for assistance and instead orders the officers to be ready at the scene. In the infirmary, the convicts release Michael, handcuff the wounded Dease, and call Nelson, telling him he has one hour to get the governor on the phone. Nelson demands to speak with Dease in order to ensure that he is alive. The inmates put Dease on the phone and force him to tell Nelson that he raped Lilâ Mama. When her back is turned, Dease attacks Frances and Nikki shoots Dease several times, killing him and avenging Lilâ Mama's death. Sergeant Cervantes, the officer in charge, orders the inmates to surrender and Wet goes outside and kills an officer, after which Wet is shot and killed. After much thought, Frances and Nikki decide to exit the infirmary and they are killed by the officers.
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Nelson responds that the prisoners must keep working. Rather than find the culprit who stabbed Aisha to ensure the future safety of the prisoners, Nelson prefers that the prisoners keep working in order to continue making money. The importance of making a profit has taken over the prison's regulations and has caused the prison to be operated like a business at the expense of the prisoner's rights. The prisoners, aware that they are being exploited for cheap labor, face harsh working conditions they refer to as "slave labor," yet they are helpless because they have nobody to express their grievances to. In this film, the officers evidently place the business deal over the prisonersâ human rights as they go to great lengths to comfort Miller, a businessman that takes an interest in investing in the prison's cheap labor. For example, when the prisoners attempt to protest the working conditions to Miller as he arrives to the workstation, Nelson does what he can to control the riot in order to salvage the possible business deal he has with Miller. Nelson hides the unhappiness of the inmates in order to provide his business partners with the guarantee that they are investing in a reliable source of labor. Barnette's characterization of Nelson and Dease reflects the growing issues surrounding the privatization of the prison system. She states in an interview that more companies are taking their business to prisons for a cheaper source of labor, leading to a limited source of jobs for
American workers and the creation of regulations such as the
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they were in jail. Wet shot a track runner who was sleeping with her boyfriend/husband in broad daylight and in front of 12 witnesses. Frances is then asked why she is in there and she explains that her husband was beating her, so she had finally had enough and shot him, landing her in prison. As Wet argues
Frances' innocence, Nikki comments on why she was locked up for protecting herself. The next day in the sweatshop, Nikki thanks Frances for helping Lilâ Mama and returns her necklace. The ladies receive bad news that Frances was denied an appeal, Nikki's children would not come to visit, and Wet gets a citation for creating a petition to end the prison's harsh working conditions. Also, Aisha returns after recovering from being stabbed. She and Nikki have an exchange of words when Aisha makes an insulting comment about Nikki's mother, tempting Nikki to fight her but is quickly broken up by close guards.
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this film, the men that play these roles are cast as the enemy against the female inmates who are depicted as helpless victims. When these women attempt to defend themselves, they are resisted and "put back in their place." For example, when Nikki begs Dease not to take her back to solitary confinement after protesting a time-consuming job she was required to do, Dease forces her to state that she will be a âgood bitch.â Forcing her to state these words creates a sense that Dease has obtained power over her and she is to follow his demands. Using physical and mental abuse, these women are taught to have a mentality that they are less of value than the men that control the prison.
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a man that Nelson hopes will invest in the prison's cheap labor. When Miller arrives to the workstation where the inmates are, Frances stands and reads the inmatesâ demands for better working conditions and Nikki proceeds in giving the petition to Miller. Dease and Banks begin to hit
Frances and Nikki and take them to solitary confinement where they stay for 6 days. During this period, they share stories and Frances helps Nikki overcome the temptation of snorting the cocaine that Dease takes to her room. They are let out and return to their routine. During a visit from her sister, Frances discovers that her daughter Maxine has been killed in a gang shooting.
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killing her stepfather after being raped and impregnated, Nikki for stealing cars at the request of her boyfriend, and Wet for shooting her ex-boyfriend's mistress. These women committed crimes that were in response to a man's abuse of power and creates a sense that these women, although criminals, are innocent women who were manipulated and taken advantage of in a man's world. As they attempt to stand up against their male opponents, Barnette demonstrates that these inmates were dismissed by the prison system and treated unequally.
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instead lives with Lilâ Mama, a 17-year-old pregnant convict who is deeply involved in
Christianity and befriends Frances. Lilâ Mama introduces Frances to another inmate named Wet, who informs her on the different crews in the prison. When asked what crime she committed, Frances confesses that she accidentally murdered her abusive husband in an effort to protect herself. The next day, Frances is familiarized with the inmatesâ daily routine of hard labor in what the other convicts refer to as a "sweatshop."
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attempted to confide in
Cervantes because she was a female, realized that she was not on their side and therefore not to be trusted. Cervantes is depicted as a character caught in between male in female enemies, fitting into neither role. Her masculine characteristics and lack of trust amongst the inmates demonstrates that she is on the male's side, but the lack of respect that she receives from Dease and Nelson demonstrates that she does not share complete power with the males in the film.
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idea rehabilitation, a concept that is commonly associated with the US prison system, with the idea of exploitation, which, as her depiction of
Whitehead Correctional Institute portrays, has become the norm in many facilities. Because the main concept of the film was harmful to the reputation of US prisons, Barnette stated that she had a difficult time having her film approved, which motivated Barnette to push forward with the film.
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jobs, which creates tension between the other officers and
Michael. As Michael attempts to defend himself and the mistreated female inmates, Dease proceeds to yell at him that these women have no respect for society and therefore, deserved to be treated poorly. Later, Michael does his own research on the prison system and discovers that these female convicts are being exploited for cheap labor.
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reduced budget, Barnette was forced to shoot the cell block scenes in a static frame rather than complicated frames requiring a wheelchair camera, which she did not have. To hide the emptiness of the prison courtyard and lack of extras to play inmates, the director used camera techniques to section off one area of the courtyard and avoided shooting any reverse angles.
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732:, drawing upon her wide experience in television and theater and as an experimental filmmaker." Describing the film as "vivid and harrowing", Thomas said the "uncompromising Barnette moves beyond melodrama to tragedy and finally affirmation, proclaiming womenâs power to effect change." Jonathan W. Hickman of
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wrote, "In the fitfully effective 'Civil Brand,' director Neema
Barnette infuses wrenching prison drama with an up-to-the-minute political edge, spinning a story around the alarming practice, on the part of a number of U.S. businesses, of using prison labor to churn out goods. Although the film loses
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Frances, Nikki, Wet, and Lilâ Mama now friends, sneak off to the kitchen where they share food and wine. They witness Dease secretly place a small bomb in the kitchen which goes off and alarms the other officers. As a result, Dease blames the incident on the inmates and has the kitchen rebuilt. After
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Michael enters the break room where Dease and the other guards are. They begin to discuss the possible closing of the prison and John Banks, a white officer, is concerned about finding a new job. Dease claims that the loss of jobs is associated with untrained students, such as
Michael, stealing their
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mistress and informer. After two officers take Aisha away for starting the fight, Dease has an intimidating conversation with Michael, informing him that he runs the prison, not Nelson, the warden. Nelson approaches Dease and they collaborate about their plans to increase their profit off the prison.
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Brand was originally intended to be filmed in North Carolina but the original script was denied by North Carolina correction officials who were afraid of the message the film depicted about the prison complex. As a result, Barnette was forced to eliminate disputed elements in the original script and
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Meanwhile, Aisha sneaks into Dease's office and retrieves the tape. During her final narration, Sabrina explains that after taking the evidence to a lawyer, the women file a lawsuit against the prison for their abuse and win the case. The prison is shut down and Nelson is indicted for making corrupt
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During a cell search, Officer Banks enters Wet's room and begins to damage her belongings, causing an altercation between Wet and Banks and Wet being taken to solitary confinement. When she returns, Wet and the other inmates collaborate and create another petition in a few days to present to Miller,
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Once allowed to film, Barnette struggled with several production issues, including a smaller budget and restricted shooting schedule that was cut from 30 days to 15 days. After being shut down after 14 days of shooting, there were a total of 21 scenes missing from the film and Barnette waited for a
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In order to carry out the idea of exploitation replacing rehabilitation, Barnette focuses on the interaction between characters Warden Nelson and Captain Dease, the officials in charge of the prison. For example, Dease asks Nelson if the prison should be locked down after Aisha's stabbing, to which
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At night, Lilâ Mama becomes very ill and the other convicts are concerned about her and her child's health. No officers come to help and Frances, who was a nurse, takes care of Lilâ Mama throughout the night. During that night, Frances has a connecting conversation with both Nikki and Wet about why
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wrote, "This is a film about the abuses of privatization and presents a negative view of what might happen if corporate America gets control of the business of corrections. Yes, correction is a big business." He also complimented the film's soundtrack and cast, writing "LisaRaye and NâBushe Wright
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Barnette uses the character of Sergeant Cervantes to emphasize the importance of unity and trust amongst the female against their male officers. There is a feeling amongst the female inmates that Cervantes, also female, has betrayed them for their male enemies. Sabrina states that the inmates, who
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The female inmates struggle with the abuse by men in their previous lives prior to their crimes as well as inside the prison walls. The director depicts the man's need for control over the woman by abusing her mentally and physically helps the audience favor the female inmatesâ self-empowerment as
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and its effect on the inmates within a prison. Using relatable characters, she shows the inmate's perspective on working under harsh prison conditions in an attempt to persuade the audience to sympathize with the cast as they are exploited by the officers that run the prison. Barnette replaces the
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gave her a week to edit the final version of the film and in order to piece the scenes together and create fluidity, Barnette had Da Brat narrate more and cut out some original scenes she had. While filming, she used strategic camera techniques to hide missing elements of the film. Because of the
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A battle for authority and respect is created with a division between the men, who are officers holding a powerful position in the prison, and the women, who are the inmates subjected to abuse and harsh labor conditions. Because the officers of this film abuse the women and are the antagonists in
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Aisha enters Dease's office to discuss her fight with Nikki and Dease slaps her in the face, telling her how unimportant she is. He presents Aisha with a gift, but refuses to give it to her until she provides him with any information about the other convicts. Dease then turns off the surveillance
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Michael Meadows, a law student who is hired as the new correctional officer at Whitehead, enters Dease's office and introduces himself. They have a brief conversation before Dease is called to stop a fight that has occurred between Nikki and Aisha, who the other inmates claim to be Dease's secret
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As Frances is escorted by an officer to the jail cell she will be living in, she enters to a scene of female convicts gambling, smoking, and talking amongst themselves. She attempts to move in with her cellmate Nikki Barnes, who is presumed to be the leader amongst the convicts, but is denied and
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information about what she saw and is let go. Later that night, Dease and the other officers enter Nikki's cell and beat her, claiming that they know she stabbed Aisha. According to Sabrina's narration, however, Dease secretly loves Nikki and abuses her because she does not return the feelings.
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Before they enter the prison walls, Barnette portrays these women as the weak victims who were punished crimes provoked by the abuse from the men they were with. Frances was incarcerated for accidentally killing her husband in an effort to protect herself from his physical abuse, Lilâ Mama for
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Sabrina Downs narrates an experience that she had while serving time as a convict in the Whitehead Correctional Institute. Her story begins as she meets Frances Shephard, a timid woman that is new to the prison system, during their bus ride to the correctional facility. The women arrive at the
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After returning from suicide watch, Frances and the other inmates devise a plan to get back at Dease with the help from Michael and Aisha, who is fed up with Dease for beating her. While Lilâ Mama cleans Dease's office, Aisha enters and seduces Dease, who kicks out Lilâ Mama and turns off the
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for confessing that Aisha caused the fight, and steals her necklace. Aisha leaves around the corner and is surprised by Nikki, who stabs her and takes one of Francesâ necklace back. After the incident, Michael takes Frances to Dease's office where Nelson questions her, but Frances provides no
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commented that the film is too similar to other prison films done in the past and that the main issue of prison exploitation was obscured by the revenge plot line against Captain Dease, the character played by Clifton Powell. While some cast members' performances received positive notices,
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its way in the late going with a preponderance of melodramatic elements that dilute the more compelling social message, for much of its running time it packs a visceral punch, thanks in large part to a strong cast headed by LisaRaye, N'Bushe Wright and Mos Def."
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particularly McCoy, Wright, Da Brat, and Mos Def, some critics opined they were masked by the overacting of other actors. Writing for FilmCritic.com, Blake French opined the narration of Da Brat's character Sabrina "gives the film a comedic tone, but
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placing the prison on lockdown, Nelson approaches Dease, angry about the explosion and Wet's petition. Nelson states that he was informed that Dease created the explosion and threatens to fire Dease if he attempts any secret plans again.
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standout among the cast of hip-hoppers which include a nice low toned performance by Mos Def as a college boy prison guard and DaBrat as our irreverent narrator." Hickman said the "filmâs conclusion works the same way '
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they take control of their bodies and put an end to their mistreatment. Barnette creates an idea that these women are battling against their male suppressors, creating an underlying feminist tone in the film.
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business deals and using the prison for his profit. Aisha is killed in a prison fight shortly after. Sabrina, now free, dedicates the inmatesâ victory to Nikki, Frances, Lilâ Mama, and Wet for their courage.
690:. After 20 months on the film festival circuit, the film was released on DVD on January 27, 2004. The DVD includes an audio commentary track from director Neema Barnette and screenwriter Joyce Renee Lewis.
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Negative reviews centered on Da Brat's narration, the cast's acting skills, and the indirect focus on the main issue of exploitation. In his review for
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prison, where they meet Captain Alan Dease, who proceeds to line them up and exclaim the rules of the prison and consequences for not abiding by them.
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The film received generally negative evaluations by critics despite the positive reception it received at film festivals. On review aggregate website
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960:"Q&A: Director Neema Barnette The Odyssey of 'Civil Brand,' a New Film with Mos Def, Da Brat and LisaRaye about the 'Prison-Industrial Complex'"
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s most recognizable theme is the use of the prisoner for a means of profit. Director Neema Barnette sought to expose the elements of the
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Prior to shooting the film, Barnette researched about women and the prison-industrial complex. She interviewed women inmates from
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year to receive extra shooting time only to receive 1 day, which was used to film 41 set-ups needed to piece the movie together.
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camera and forces Aisha to perform oral sex on him. After she leaves the office, Aisha finds Frances, punches her in the face as
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Barnette struggled with finalizing the location for filming the movie because of the complex issues that she chose to address.
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reviewed the film positively, commending Barnette for avoiding the elements of "lurid womenâs
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in limited theaters on August 29, 2003. In 2002, the movie was shown at the
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1203:"Urbanworld Film Festival: Balancing Between Hollywood and the Indie World"
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1144:"The 6th Annual American Black Film Festival Announces 2002 Award Winners"
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doesn't want to be a comedy; it wants to be a thought-provoking
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Barnette won the Audience Award and the Special Jury Prize for
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1486:"Film Review; Tough Women in the Pen Decide to Get Tougher"
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by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise.
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for his role as Michael Meadows. The award went to actor
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won four awards and received one nomination. At the 2002
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363:Learn how and when to remove this message
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824:Outstanding Actor in an Independent Film
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281:and Joyce Renee Lewis, and directed by
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1029:"A story that couldn't stay locked up"
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1041:from the original on October 30, 2019
958:Iverem, Esther (September 12, 2003).
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666:on May 26, 2002, and was released by
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1543:Elder, Robert K. (October 9, 2003).
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1114:Directors Guild of America Magazine
1027:Chautard, Andre (August 25, 2003).
634:submitted a watered-down script to
1834:English-language independent films
1484:Scott, A. O. (February 15, 2011).
1383:"Exploitation behind locked doors"
1201:Speaks, Avril (November 1, 2002).
822:Mos Def received a nomination for
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1512:French, Blake (August 28, 2003).
1448:Linden, Sheri (August 29, 2003).
1381:Thomas, Kevin (August 29, 2003).
1345:"Civil Brand (2003) - Movie Info"
1107:Geffner, David (September 2003).
1063:Prioleau, Ramona (October 2003).
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338:too long or excessively detailed
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1799:American rape and revenge films
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1804:Films about sexual harassment
1545:"Movie review: 'Civil Brand'"
1824:2000s English-language films
1789:African-American drama films
1149:American Black Film Festival
790:American Black Film Festival
664:American Black Film Festival
640:Tennessee State Penitentiary
487:Reed McCant as Warden Nelson
334:This article's plot summary
307:American Black Film Festival
1794:American prison drama films
901:. Nash Information Services
662:was first premiered at the
533:the claims made and adding
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1809:Films about social realism
1419:"Caged Civil Disobedience"
1069:Fights the Powers That Be"
1759:2002 crime thriller films
1720:Super Sweet 16: The Movie
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688:Pan African Film Festival
678:on November 10. In 2003,
578:prison-industrial complex
566:Prisonâindustrial complex
206:August 29, 2003
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1784:2000s prison drama films
1779:2000s female buddy films
1003:(DVD). Lions Gate Films.
813:Urbanworld Film Festival
672:Urbanworld Film Festival
311:Urbanworld Film Festival
866:American Film Institute
674:on August 9 and at the
1769:2002 independent films
1455:The Hollywood Reporter
1325:. CBS Interactive, Inc
828:2003 Black Reel Awards
751:The Hollywood Reporter
734:Entertainment Insiders
684:Sundance Film Festival
475:Chris Dodson as Miller
279:Preston A. Whitmore II
191:May 26, 2002
58:Preston A. Whitmore II
1814:Women in prison films
1423:Entertainment Insider
1260:"Civil Brand Extras!"
970:on September 29, 2003
493:as Captain Alan Dease
466:as Sergeant Cervantes
1829:2000s American films
1774:2000s feminist films
1557:on November 2, 2003.
1429:on February 23, 2004
1207:Independent Magazine
1121:on December 21, 2003
1079:on November 29, 2003
921:"Civil Brand (2003)"
893:"Civil Brand (2002)"
682:was screened at the
484:Robert Lynn as Banks
214: (United States)
1270:on February 7, 2003
999:(director) (2002).
798:Keenen Ivory Wayans
1665:Films directed by
1491:The New York Times
1462:on August 29, 2003
1258:Fisher, Kimberly.
817:independent cinema
761:The New York Times
694:Critical reception
518:possibly contains
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1573:Black Reel Awards
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1576:. Retrieved
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1555:the original
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1528:February 15,
1526:. Retrieved
1522:the original
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1327:. Retrieved
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1272:. Retrieved
1268:the original
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1215:. Retrieved
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1123:. Retrieved
1119:the original
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1083:February 13,
1081:. Retrieved
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972:. Retrieved
968:the original
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877:December 28,
875:. Retrieved
871:the original
864:
835:
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811:at the 2002
808:
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802:Chris Tucker
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479:Jerry Foster
472:as Lilâ Mama
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223:Running time
143:David Beatty
18:
1700:Civil Brand
1690:Spirit Lost
1625:Civil Brand
1609:Civil Brand
1598:Civil Brand
1361:February 1,
1067:Civil Brand
1001:Civil Brand
936:October 10,
905:October 10,
898:The Numbers
809:Civil Brand
786:Civil Brand
771:Civil Brand
680:Civil Brand
660:Civil Brand
620:Los Angeles
571:Civil Brand
285:. It stars
267:Civil Brand
128:Yuri Neyman
70:Produced by
41:Directed by
24:Civil Brand
1754:2002 films
1748:Categories
1322:Metacritic
1073:MOSAEC.com
844:References
766:A.O. Scott
739:Set it Off
704:Metacritic
648:Lions Gate
614:Production
527:improve it
448:as Michael
442:as Sabrina
430:as Frances
270:is a 2002
256:Box office
227:95 minutes
210:2003-08-29
195:2002-05-26
160:Production
140:Zene Baker
51:Written by
1578:April 14,
1466:April 14,
1433:April 14,
1397:April 14,
1301:April 14,
1243:April 14,
1156:April 14,
1045:April 14,
730:melodrama
636:Tennessee
531:verifying
353:June 2011
259:$ 254,293
251:$ 500,000
134:Edited by
35:DVD cover
16:2002 film
1630:AllMovie
1391:Archived
1211:Archived
1177:AllMovie
1039:Archived
686:and the
454:as Aisha
390:reprisal
272:thriller
240:Language
154:Mandrill
151:Music by
78:Starring
826:at the
718:of the
655:Release
525:Please
464:MC Lyte
446:Mos Def
440:Da Brat
343:Please
336:may be
299:Mos Def
295:Da Brat
243:English
232:Country
208: (
193: (
162:company
115:MC Lyte
100:Mos Def
95:Da Brat
1733:(2012)
1723:(2007)
1713:(2006)
1703:(2002)
1693:(1997)
1683:(1993)
800:, and
781:Awards
499:Themes
460:as Wet
301:, and
248:Budget
199: (
631:Civil
574:'
275:drama
1603:IMDb
1580:2023
1530:2011
1499:2011
1468:2023
1435:2023
1399:2023
1363:2022
1331:2011
1303:2023
1276:2011
1245:2023
1219:2011
1185:2011
1158:2023
1127:2011
1085:2011
1047:2023
976:2011
938:2011
931:IMDb
907:2011
879:2016
622:and
421:Cast
317:Plot
201:ABFF
1628:at
1612:at
1601:at
777:."
529:by
1750::
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197:)
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