Spike Lee is no stranger to controversy, which is why the famed filmmaker remains cool under criticism after the release of his trailer, Chi-Raq.
The film, directed and co-written by Lee, is a satire in which the women of the city withhold sex from their gang member boyfriends and husbands in hopes to stop the on-going warfare. The premise was taken from the comedic Greek mythological story Lysistrata in which ancient Greek women did the same to stop the Peloponnesian war.
There were mixed reviews after seeing the trailer, and many said Lee’s depiction was an insult, especially in the wake of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee who was shot at close range multiple times in an alley on Chicago’s South Side. Grammy-award winning rapper, Rhymefest was the most vocal demanding the Academy-Award nominated director issue an apology to the city.
On Friday, (November 6) Lee responded to the backlash in a video in which he clarified while there are humorous moments in the trailer, by no means does the movie make light of the constant killings happening in Chicago.
“In no way shape or form are we making light of the lives that have been murdered with this senseless violence, so people don’t get it twisted, don’t get it twisted, this film is about serious business.”