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In Their Own Words
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In Their Own Words
My Sequel to ‘Baby Boy’
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John Singleton’s latest movie “Baby Boy” tells the story of a 20-year-old African-American
man living at home with his mother. He has fathered two babies by two girlfriends, but he is not yet ready to take
full responsibility for his life. And because I am the same age and race as Singleton’s main character and
I live in a similar neighborhood, this film made me think about the urban dramas that I could tell some day,
when I am a film director myself.
I like Singleton’s filmmaking techniques, and I like his messages, too. But I started to think about the
narrative choices that I would make if I ever had the chance to pitch my own ideas to a producer.
I could tell the story of a 16-year-old young woman I know, who has a baby girl and lives with her aunt.
Having the baby makes it hard for her to get to school, because she depends on her mother and her
boyfriend’s mother for day care, and they both work. Now she wants to finish high school,
but she needs a school with day care.
Do I want my narrative to have her stay with her boyfriend and get married? Maybe I do, if that meant
that he would stay off the streets and be a good role model for his daughter. Right now he’s working,
but he’s a high school dropout so it won’t be easy to make enough to support a family. The young mother
could get a job too, but probably that would make it hard for her to stay in school.
I don’t really like the thought of my character and her baby not having a stable family with a husband
and father. But if my movie is trying to show that stability equals responsibility, would it be the best thing to
have her get married right now? I don’t know.
I know these things are possible because my own experience has been almost the total opposite of hers.
I started out at the same junior high school, but I ended up at City As School, a small alternative high school
that helps students find interesting internships around the city. I interned at the Educational Video Center, where
in a small hands-on workshop our mentors taught us to produce documentary videos. I now work as the equipment
technician there, and when I’m ready to make my own movie I have the skills to do it.
I could have gone the other way, ending up like Baby Boy. But I relate more to his creator, John Singleton.
I want to tell stories the way they are and at the same time educate people on how to avoid ending up in the
same unstable situations that my characters are experiencing.
Kellon Innocent, 21, works as a technician at the Educational Video Center, where he learned videography
skills as a high school student at one of New York City’s alternative public schools. He is from
St. Lucia and lives in the Bronx.
Next 'Young Writer' essay, "Naki and I Start School" by Maharai Lowe >>
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What would be another way to play it? First, I could have my character not be so young when she has her
baby. For that, someone at the big junior high school she went to would have to recognize that she was heading
in the wrong direction and steer her toward the right track. When she went on to high school, I would have her
go to a place where they would notice her artistic talent and keep her interested enough to stay connected to
positive influences. If the movie did let her get pregnant, her school would have a day care center in it, and an
adviser who knew her well enough to help her through the struggle. Her boyfriend would stay in school, go on to
higher education, and get a good job.