Brooklyn filmmaker Julius Stukes is ready to take the independent film world by storm with his first short film, The Way The Rain Pours.
The film was written, produced and directed by the Canarsie resident, and it focuses on the mental health struggles of Black men when life gets hard. Stukes said a lot of the film's material comes from his own experience growing up in the borough.
“There’s a particular scene in the film that was based on a real-life situation that I was going through during a dark time in my life," he told BK Reader. "I was very suicidal and wanted to do something traumatic and drastic. However, it all changed when my then-girlfriend suggested I go to therapy.”
Like many people, he was reluctant to seek help because the “you’re crazy” stigma seems to automatically pop up when seeking out mental health help, he said. After giving it some thought, however, he decided to give it a chance.
“When you’re in a vulnerable state and at your lowest, and you’re used to doing harmful things, you want to have another option," he said.
Stukes said he eventually was selected to join an eight-week program at Black Men Heal, an organization that provides mental health services, psycho-education, and other community resources to men of color.
"Those eight weeks turned into a year that would ultimately change my life," Stukes said.
What Stukes learned from those sessions helped him write The Way The Rain Pours, a film largely shot in Kensington. The film follows Fidel, the main character played by Michell C. Clark, who's life turns upside down after his grandmother’s passing. Suddenly, his world shifts, and he now has to maneuver through the stages of grief, mental health awareness, and the financial pressures that are placed on him.
Throughout this journey, Fidel encounters a young homeless boy who is trying to figure a way to get the necessities he needs to make it to the next day. Fidel gives the young man more than what he asks for when he needs it the most.
To include that moment between Fidel and the young man was intentional because it’s the support Stukes wished he had during his teenage years.
“When I was in high school, I didn’t realize, nor acknowledge, how severely affected my mental health was because we didn’t have discussions about it,” he said. “During those years, I encountered a lot of traumatic events, including physical altercations that would either involve me or those around me."
Looking back, Stukes said he wished someone would have told him to protect his mental health better and give himself some grace to remember that there's no manual to life. "So relax, it will get better," he said.
Click here for details on the May 11 screening of the film. Watch the trailer of The Way The Rain Pours here.
