Noel Calloway’s Life, Love, Soul Opens Today!

The strength of a man lies in the way he, in all of his masculinity, deals with his vulnerability.

And, no, not vulnerable as a sign of weakness and can’t handle, but that of releasing their hurt and identifying the ingredients of their being in society. Realizing their heart and significance. Acknowledging pain, making mistakes, dealing with it and letting it go.

This is a sense of their strength-simply showing that despite the ideology of a man showing no emotion- they, too, are human and damnit it is possible for them to hurt as well.

First time director and longtime writer, Noel Calloway’s independent film, Life, Love, Soul exudes the strengths and challenges of manhood.

The film, winner of the 2011 Urbanworld Film Festival’s “Audience Award,” and produced by Alle West, Benny Pough, and Dedra Tate, offers an alternative to the stereotypical coming of age story whose driving point is the streets and all the dramatics that come with it.

Instead, the films aesthetic cleverly syncs music that enhances the storyline, ultimately painting a beautifully honest picture of obstacles as we follow Roosevelt Jackson on his journey to manhood.

Roosevelt Jackson (Robbie Tate-Brickle: this marks his first leading role), a 17-year-old writer and honor student, is on the verge of becoming a high school graduate with an eye on notable collegiate institutions. Then suddenly, the world, as he knew it, literally crashes.

The sudden loss of his mother, played by model/actress Tami Roman of VH1’s Basketball Wives, and younger brother forces him to adjust to a much different life with his estranged father, Earl Grant (Chad Coleman) and Caucasian step-mother.

Troubling verbal exchanges between father and son eventually lead to a physical altercation after a night of Earl drinking heavily. Both Roosevelt and Earl have trapped anger, hurt and pain.

Earl is still dealing with regrets of his past and relationship with ex-wife, Roosevelt’s mother.

And Roosevelt is dealing with the loss of the woman that meant the world to him who also serves as his inspiration for writing and achieving gracefully in school.

They are both torn.

All the while his stepmother tries her best to bridge the gap between father and son, in turn opening a line of communication and understanding between herself and Roosevelt.

The film has several family-oriented themes including grief, education, teen pregnancy and fatherhood. It’s the story of a young man who loses everything and triumphantly finds himself.

As a viewer, you’ll be attracted to the storyline and various male portrayals. The women stand out also, but Life, Love, Soul delivers from a male point-of-view and is told strongly.

Jamie Hector, Robbie Tate-Brickle and Chad Coleman

Calloway definitely designed a conversational piece of work with grand ideologies.

The soundtrack for this film is crazy dope!-think along the lines of  Anthony Hamilton’s “Soul on Fire”

The Cast Includes: Jamie Hector (“CSI Miami,” “The Wire”), Terri J. Vaughn (“Meet the Browns,” “Steve Harvey Show”), Chad Coleman (“I Hate My Teenage Daughter,” The Green Hornet) and Egypt Sherrod (HGTV’s “Property Virgins,” WBLS on-air host).