Passing Through

The African-American jazz musician Eddie Warmack is finally released from prison, after having been convicted for the killing of a white gangster. Not willing to play for the mobsters who control the music industry, including clubs and recording studios, Warmack searches for his mentor and grandfather, the legendary jazz musician Poppa Harris. The film itself is an intimate homage to jazz as well as music in general. Through flashbacks, it highlights the intimate relationship between Poppa and his little grandson. Director Larry Clark theorizes that jazz is one of the purest expressions of African-American culture, embodying the struggles of generations of African-Americans – beyond any commercial markets. Passing Through is a central work within the “L.A. Rebellion” group, who revolutionized the Black Cinema in the late 1980s. (Filmfest München)