Nova Frontier Film Festival Presents SLAM: SWORDED WORDS Review – Finding Empowerment in Slam

Click here to read more Picture This Post Nova Frontier Film Festival stories.

Slam poetry is no place for decorum. This is made evidently clear in SLAM: SWORDED WORDS, a documentary film by Tatiana Lohman and Roberta Estrela D’alva. The film, which explores the worldwide phenomenon of slam poetry through the experience of the Brazilian poet Luz Ribiero, takes us from São Paulo to New York to Paris, where poets perform in competitions that are as energetic as any sports event. 

In bars nestled in various corners of the world, slam poets gather. Filmed in a shaky, handheld style, SLAM captures poets in their element. We watch as performers on dimly lit stages shout into the microphone and gesticulate wildly. They speak rapidly and then suddenly stop, like a distracted driver screeching to a halt at a red light. As they recite, one thought blends into a different one, tied together by a homonym. Poets deliver rhythmic pieces denouncing colonization and the patriarchy; they deliver passionate personal narratives about rape, oppression, and loss. No topic is off-limits. The crowds, meanwhile, are always engaged, whooping and snapping at lines that they find particularly resonant.

The focus of SLAM is Ribiero, who wins the national championship and goes to the Poetry Slam World Cup in Paris. A passionate activist in her poetry, she compels our attention. She speaks rapidly and purposefully, moving her body to the rhythm of her speech, all the while wearing big, eye-catching earrings. But SLAM goes beyond Ribiero, featuring many other poets throughout the film. The documentary embraces the very communal nature of slam poetry.

Interspersed between the performance scenes, poets talk about their work and the culture of slam poetry. They are constantly traveling, so plenty of footage takes place on the road. In one scene, a group of poets are in a van discussing the significance of slam. Someone leans over the back of their seat and pronounces that slam is important because it is counter to academic poetry. 

With roots in jazz, slam embraces emotion, experimentation, and movement. The film’s point of view conveys that slam poetry is a cathartic and empowering genre rarely found in the classroom, which is a big part of what makes SLAM such an exciting viewing experience, in this writer’s view.

This documentary will likely appeal to fans of slam poetry and poetry in general. Those who are passionate about activism and equality for all might also enjoy this film, as it explores how art can be used to call out systems of oppression.