Wire report
Personal Problems review – an exhilarating lo-fi epic of Black working-class life in 80s New York
The director of Ganja & Hess, Bill Gunn, turns analogue video and improvisation into a work of startling intimacy, humour and emotional force In 1980, Bill Gunn, director of cult 70s horror Ganja & Hess , took on this quietly amazing micro-budget video project with author Ishmael Reed. It is an improvised melodrama in two parts about Black lives in New York, originally intended for television, and shot on analogue video. It is rough and ready, and the sound mix is sometimes very muddy indeed, but it pops with energy and life. The film anticipates by decades the world of shooting movies on smartphones, even though they were presumably wielding camera equipment the size of a briefcase. Moreover, the opening titles to part one are so basic that they look like a modern intentionally VHS-fetishist gag by someone like Harmony Korine. You could also compare the boozy scenes and overlapp
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The director of Ganja & Hess, Bill Gunn, turns analogue video and improvisation into a work of startling intimacy, humour and emotional force In 1980, Bill Gunn, director of cult 70s horror Ganja & Hess , took on this quietly amazing micro-budget video project with author Ishmael Reed. It is an improvised melodrama in two parts about Black lives in New York, originally intended for television, and shot on analogue video. It is rough and ready, and the sound mix is sometimes very muddy indeed, but it pops with energy and life. The film anticipates by decades the world of shooting movies on smartphones, even though they were presumably wielding camera equipment the size of a briefcase. Moreover, the opening titles to part one are so basic that they look like a modern intentionally VHS-fetishist gag by someone like Harmony Korine. You could also compare the boozy scenes and overlapp
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According to The Guardian’s linked report, Personal Problems review – an exhilarating lo-fi epic of Black working-class life in 80s New York, The director of Ganja & Hess, Bill Gunn, turns analogue video and improvisation into a work of startling intimacy, humour and emotional force In 1980, Bill Gunn, director of cult 70s horror Ganja & Hess , took on this quietly amazing micro-budget video project with author Ishmael Reed. It is an improvised melodrama in two parts about Black lives in New York, originally intended for television, and shot on analogue video. It is rough and ready, and the sound mix is sometimes very muddy indeed, but it pops with energy and life. The film anticipates by decades the world of shooting movies on smartphones, even though they were presumably wielding camera equipment the size of a briefcase. Moreover, the opening titles to part one are so basic that they look like a modern intentionally VHS-fetishist gag by someone like Harmony Korine. You could also compare the boozy scenes and overlapp
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The development sits in VINI’s Culture coverage for readers following arts, entertainment, fashion, film, music, celebrity, and the business of culture. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The linked report is dated 2026-07-29T08:00:27+00:00.
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Primary source: Personal Problems review – an exhilarating lo-fi epic of Black working-class life in 80s New York via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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- Personal Problems review – an exhilarating lo-fi epic of Black working-class life in 80s New YorkThe Guardian - 2026-07-29T08:00:27+00:00
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