Not Too Deep, Not Too Shallow: ‘Wade In The Water’ Review

Wade In The Water is a fiery spoken-word poetry visual set to the invocation of the African-American slave spiritual of the same name. Released on YouTube in October, Wade is a well-done visual with high production value and a world primed for its message. Wade In The Water is the second short film of its kind from David Bianchi on the Million Youth Media platform, one of the branches of Fully Focused UK, a youth-led media group based in the United Kingdom.

Joivan Wade, David Bianchi, & Llewellyn C. Radford; Image courtesy of Wall of Productions

At the core of the piece are three spoken-word poetry performances centered around the Black experience in the United States. In particular, the pieces are about police murder and racist aggressions imposed by a white supremist status quo. The poems are all written in collaboration among the trio of David Bianchi, Llewellyn C. Radford, and Joivan Wade. US actor David Bianchi already had a name for himself as a poet before he racked up a long list of acting, writing, and producing credits. With Wade In The Water, he adds director to his CV. The feel of the film is immediate and urgent, with a very industrial aesthetic and juxtapositions of slave-era versions of the performers. What ties the piece to the titular spiritual is the resonant timbre of Onyi Love’s voice, the binding that tethers the poems to the Black experience and the only femme presence in the film. There is the standard ‘terrible beauty’ of Blackness on display, bu…