CHICAGO — After releasing the trailer for "Chi-Raq" earlier this week, director Spike Lee responded to critics who think the movie makes too much light of Chicago's violence.
"Some people are getting it twisted and thinking this is a comedy," Lee said in a video released Friday. "Chi-Raq is not a comedy. Chi-Raq is a satire."
The message precedes another series of clips from "Chi-Raq" that are much less stylized and humorous than those in the first trailer. The clips in this video are focused on how violence affects children, mothers and their families.
"In no way shape or form are we not respectful of the situation that is happening in Chiraq," Lee said. "in no way shape or form are we making light of the lives that have been murdered with this senseless violence."
The Rev. Michael Pfleger, of St. Sabina Church, who has been involved with the production of the movie, said he was "disturbed" by the response the initial trailer received, though recognized the timing of the release — which occurred soon after the South Side murders of Kaylyn Pryor and 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee — may have been a factor.
"We've got to look at the body of work of Spike Lee, someone who has been a conscious voice in focusing on important issues," Pfleger said.
Pfleger, who is the inspiration for a character in the movie played by John Cusack, said he has watched about 20 minutes of the film set to be released by Amazon Studios on Dec. 4.
"In the 20 minutes I saw, I laughed and I cried," Pfleger said.
WATCH THE FULL TRAILER:
CHI-RAQ Trailer from 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks on Vimeo.
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