‘Flood Streets’ Paints Enlightening Portrait of New Orleans

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Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – With their town ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and their neighborhood under government-ordered quarantine, one New Orleans couple decided to combine their artistic strengths into one cohesive project. Their goal was to portray their beloved city in a way that was strikingly different from the representation popularized by HBO’s “Treme.”
 
The result is “Flood Streets,” a small gem of a film that captures a period fifteen months after the catastrophe where life is in a state of temporary flux. Screenwriter Helen Krieger structures her script as a series of vignettes loosely based off her own short stories, which were directly inspired by her experiences as a real estate agent surveying the post-flood housing market.
 
Krieger’s husband, director/co-star Joseph Meissner, proves to be her ideal collaborator. Together, they have staged an enduring portrait of a broken city where idealists cycle through the ruins and galvanized inhabitants attempt to pick up the pieces. Yet “Streets” is the complete opposite of a mournful dirge. It is a vibrant microcosm of New Orleans’ melting pot and a celebration of its ever-evolving culture. The wealth of diverse musicians contributing their own tuneful textures throughout the picture makes one occasionally wish that the film simply abandoned its plot altogether in favor of nonstop musical numbers. Show-stoppers range from the Irish-Cajun alternative rhythms of the Zydepunks and the Russian punk rock of Debauche to the exuberant soundscapes of the Panorama and Preservation Hall jazz bands. Yet perhaps the most memorable music comes courtesy of Becky Stark, an underground folk icon whose lovely lilting voice delivers melodic streams of consciousness that seem to be jutting out of her soul (such as when she finds herself lost on a road devoid of street signs). Like Krieger, Stark’s character is a real estate agent whose compassion for devastated citizens clinging to their doomed homes naturally causes her to have a crisis of conscience. Stark has a wonderfully engaging screen presence, and the quiet strength of her voice is emblematic of the entire production.

Flood Streets screens Sept. 19 at the Naperville Independent Film Festival.
Photo credit: The Hatchery Media

Though the film is technically an ensemble piece, its central storyline is clear from the get-go. Krieger casts Meissner in what is easily the film’s least likable role, though he manages to earn audience empathy if only because of his character’s desperate delusions. He plays a longtime New Orleanian trying to distance himself from his bohemian past, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, a struggling painter (Melissa Hall). The overpowering stress and alienation of their suddenly stagnant surroundings has put a strain on their relationship, causing Meissner to lust after a 25-year-old dental assistant (Ava Santana). Like all of the film’s plot threads, the couple’s future remains uncertain after the final fade-out, yet Meissner does experience a moment of clarity that is poignantly accompanied by flickering lights. Robert Hebert’s editing is crucial to the picture’s overall success, and he does a splendid job of balancing the storylines at a brisk pace while subtly highlighting key nuances within each sequence.

What causes the film to occasionally falter are the subplots that a touch too underdeveloped for their own good. Sequences involving a nine-year-old girl who listens to self-help tapes and attempts to sell home insurance just comes off as silly. The most problematic character is a single mom (Asia Rainey) whose get-rich-quick schemes are more ill-advised than those dreamed up by Ralph Kramden. Her daughter is played by Rachel Dupard, a phenomenally gifted 15-year-old gospel singer who gets to belt out a few chords but is largely underutilized. Another odd casting choice is legendary comedian Harry Shearer as Meissner’s dentist. Shearer’s third billing in the opening credits is reflective only of his star status and his impassioned support of the project, since his role consists of little more than a walk-on. After helming the muckraking New Orleans documentary, “The Big Uneasy,” Shearer has praised Meissner’s film for shedding light on the city’s true nature. The project was clearly a labor of love from everyone involved, especially considering a great many of the crew members were New Orleanians.

The Russian Mafia Band named Debauche brings down the house in Joseph Meissner’s Flood Streets.
Photo credit: The Hatchery Media

“Flood Streets” is not flawless, but it’s a good film and a necessary one as well. It captures the defiant spirit of a city that refuses to succumb to the odds stacked against it. The vitality of its culture and the determination of its inhabitants have ultimately made it resilient in the midst of the worst possible circumstances. Katrina’s path of destruction brought about a momentary pause rather than a permanent silence to the pulsating rhythms on the streets of New Orleans, and Meissner’s film is resoundingly upbeat and hopeful without sanitizing the seriousness of its characters’ predicament. The film is well worth seeking out at festivals and is currently in negotiations for a limited theatrical run before its eventual DVD release. I suggest that the filmmakers accompany their DVD with a CD of the film’s extraordinary soundtrack. That alone would warrant a purchase.

By MATT FAGERHOLM Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com matt@hollywoodchicago.com