''Spark'' is a 1998

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and c ...

film directed by Garret Williams in his

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

. It stars

Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films ''Dead Presidents'' and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'', Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema roles ...

Nicole Ari Parker Nicole Ari Parker Kodjoe (born October 7, 1970) is an American actress and model. She made her screen debut with a leading role in the critically acclaimed independent film '' The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love'' (1995) and went o ...

, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, and

Brendan Sexton III Brendan Eugene Sexton III (born February 21, 1980) is an American actor. Life and career Born in Staten Island, New York, Sexton made his film debut in Todd Solondz's '' Welcome to the Dollhouse'' playing the troubled bully Brandon McCarthy, fo ...

. The film centers on a Black couple who become marooned in a backwater desert town after their car breaks down. Williams workshopped the film at the Sundance Filmmaker Labs. ''Spark'' had its world premiere at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and also screened at

Berlinale The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

Premise

Byron and Nina, a young Black couple from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, are driving a BMW en route to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, where Nina will be attending college. They are driving through a desert when they experience a car breakdown after accidentally hitting a dog. Mooney, a sullen teenager and son of a local mechanic, befriends the couple and tows them to a small town where they are charged $500 for repairs. When the BMW dies again, Byron and Nina are forced to stay overnight in a motel, but the situation grows increasingly grim as Byron starts spending more time with Mooney, whose true colors start to reveal a disturbing town story.

Cast

Release

''Spark'' premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival in the American Spectrum section. It also screened at

in February 1998. At the 1998 Urbanworld Film Festival, the film was awarded the prize for Best Director for Garret Williams. ''Spark'' was released on DVD by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

as part of the American Black Film Festival series on May 15, 2007.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spark 1998 films 1998 directorial debut films 1998 drama films 1998 independent films African-American drama films American LGBT-related films American drama road movies American psychological thriller films Films about racism in the United States LGBT-related drama films 1998 LGBT-related films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films 1990s drama road movies 1990s psychological thriller films