“What I found was that there are two Jersey Citys.”
That’s Michael Skolnik talking about his experience making the recently released film “On the Outs.”
On the Outs, which had its U.S. theatrical premiere on Wednesday at the Film Forum in Manhattan, tells the story of Oz, Suzette and Marisol – three young, poor Jersey City women whose tragic stories of despair speak to the larger issue of the growing number of female inmates in the United States.
Directed by Skolnik and his partner Lori Silverbush, the independent film was shot for 21 days in Jersey City and four days in the Hudson County Juvenile Dentention Center in Secaucus during November of 2003.
The film came about because of Skolnik and Silverbush’s interest in depicting the lives of young women they had met in their past volunteer work in shelters and in other entities. In particular, “On the Outs” was borne out of the experience of spending several months at the detention center during the summer of 2003, meeting with young women there.
“A lot of young women that myself and Lori met at the detention center were from Jersey City, who gave us all this detail about the streets they grew up on, the people they knew and what kind of activities they got involved in,” said Skolnik.Skolnik said that while the movie could have been anywhere in this country, from Brooklyn to Oklahoma, it made sense to shoot in Jersey City based on the information that he and Silverbush gathered.
One of the young women they met in the detention center, Jasmine Long of Jersey City, became a consultant on the film on the condition that she stayed out of the juvenile detention center. Long was the model for the character of Oz in the movie.
Also, a number of local residents worked on the film such as “Punky” Pagan and others whom Skolnik wanted to thank in print helping to make the film possible. The film was shot on digital video that conforms to the big screen. Skolnik said that he is looking to organize a screening in Jersey City in August or September. ‘On the Outs’
Oz, Suzette and Marisol are the three female protagonists of ‘On the Outs.” Oz is a 17-year old tomboyish drug dealer whose street toughness masks a frayed family. She has to deal with a recently recovered drug addict mom, a mentally disabled brother, and an embittered grandmother.
Suzette is a shy 15-year-old living with her single mother. She is led down the wrong path by her older first love, a drug dealer. Marisol a 17-year-old recovering drug addict fighting to keep custody of her 4-year-old daughter.
All three meet in a juvenile detention center for women, presumably the Hudson County facility in Secaucus, which is no more than a holding pen for an increasing amount of young females who stand a better chance of future jail time than being reformed. Familiar locations
The movie shows many locations familiar to Jersey City residents – the now-closed Twin City Supermarket on Ocean Avenue, where a scene has Oz shoplifting with her friends until she spots her mother working there; the Quisqueya Barber Shop on Ocean Avenue where characters pass by in several scenes, and sections of Randolph, Carteret, Ocean and Neptune avenues, where the bulk of the movie was shot.
And the situations depicted are also starkly familiar to residents as well. The drug dealers standing on Ocean Avenue ply their trade every day, young men and women either living in homes with single parents or raising themselves, or just existing for the moment.
The performers stand out – Judy Marte as Oz shows toughness when punching out a young street hood for calling her a “dyke,” and tenderness by taking her mentally disabled brother on a trip to New York.
Anny Mariano as Suzette expresses vulnerability in investing her affections in hardened drug dealer Tyrell, even when he sets her up for arrest. Paola Mendoza shows a fragility and sweetness as the young mother of 4-year-old Autumn, whom she may end up losing to foster care.
The entire cast stands out, especially Dominic Colon as Oz’s brother Chewey, and 12-year old Jersey City resident Be’Born Ricks as a young street kid who meets an untimely fate.
But what gives the movie its force is the direction of Skolnik and Silverbush, and the cinematography by Mariana Sánchez de Antuñano. They capture a Jersey City that Skolnik said is a “diverse, cultural metropolis” with million dollar views of New York and The Statue of Liberty, both a million miles away from the characters in the film. Sidebar Jasmine’s story
Jasmine Long is a 16-year-old Jersey City resident on whom the character of “Oz” was based. She was at the Film Forum on Thursday answering questions along with the film’s directors and sign autographs.
Long, who grew up on Pamrapo and Stegman avenues, completed in April a 19-month stay at the juvenile detention center on a charge of possession of a weapon.
“Where I first saw them, I said to myself that I wanted no part of [the directors],” said Long. “But after I got to know them, I learned to trust them.”
One could see Long’s characteristics in Oz, although Skolnik and Silverbush said that the female protagonists are composites of 30 young women they met in their research. Long, with her baggy pants and hat turned backwards, gave off a street tough image but projected a shyness in taking about the film.
“I am glad that this film was made, since it shows what type of life I lived,” Long said. “It’s not at all painful. I especially want all the big homies coming out to see this film since they used to tell me that they want to see a film about their lives.”
Long was referring to her friends who are coming out of prisons in the New Jersey/New York area.
Long also hopes that the film dispels the myth that persons like herself are nothing but thugs, but rather young people who made mistakes and whose lives are more complicated.
It was evident that she won over the new people in her life, such as director Silverbush, who expressed how much she loved Long as a person.
Long looks forward to pursuing a career as a music producer and is looking for anyone who would offer her an internship. – RK “On the Outs” is showing until July 26 at the Film Forum in New York, but the directors say that the more people who come, the longer it will stay. For more information on the film, visit www.ontheouts.com or www.filmforum.com. Also, e-mail info@ontheouts.com.