Asian American and Black Communities Reconcile Over Screenings of Romeo Must Die
Romeo Must Die should not be confused with the other Jet Li/DMX movie, Cradle 2 the Grave, which also involves martial arts and leather jackets.
June 23, 2021
By: K. Cheng
OAKLAND, CA – Tensions between Asian-American and Black communities were at boiling-point this past year. One city has attempted to bring the two communities together by screening the film that exemplifies a path from conflict to unity: Romeo Must Die.
Activist Bill Shangspeare noted, “It’s clear that in these times of turmoil, we need the knowledge, wisdom, and guidance of a leader like DMX (may he rest in peace).” For those unfamiliar, Romeo Must Die was a modern-day interpretation of the Shakspearean classic, Romeo and Juliet. Jet Li plays Romeo, Aaliyah plays Juliet, and DMX plays… well he just plays DMX. Romeo Must Die should not be confused with the other Jet Li/DMX movie, Cradle 2 the Grave, which also involves martial arts and leather jackets.
Shangspeare continued, “While Asian-American and Black communities have always experienced tension, it definitely felt like we got along best in the 2000s. Aside from these films, we had Tiger Woods, and Jin in the Ruff Ryders. We want to bring back that cohesion, minus the DVDs and MySpace.”
Jet Li, who was on the set of shooting the live action Mulan sequel, commented, “I loved making Romeo Must Die. The success of a 21-year-old movie warrants a sequel, which will either be called MacBeth Must Die or A Midsummer Night Must Die.” This shouldn’t be confused with the Cradle 2 the Grave sequel which will either be called 2 Cradelous 2 Graveous, or Cradle 3 the Grave.
The Asian-American + Black Film Festival kicked off the first screening. It was only attended by White people, however. Because White people. Love. Film Festivals. One festival goer noted, “I enjoyed the film, even though I got it confused with Rush Hour.” Nevertheless, organizers plan to host more screenings in the coming weeks. After all, you gotta dust yourself off and try again, try again.
