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'Chi-Raq' Uses Greek Satire To Explore Chicago Violence

This photo provided by Roadside Attractions and Amazon Studios shows Teyonah Parris as Lysistrata in Spike Lee’s film, "Chi-Raq." The movie opens in U.S. theaters on Dec. 4, 2015.  (Parrish Lewis/Roadside Attractions/Amazon Studios via AP)
This photo provided by Roadside Attractions and Amazon Studios shows Teyonah Parris as Lysistrata in Spike Lee’s film, "Chi-Raq." The movie opens in U.S. theaters on Dec. 4, 2015. (Parrish Lewis/Roadside Attractions/Amazon Studios via AP)

In the new film “Chi-Raq,” Spike Lee reinterprets Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata” by setting it in contemporary Chicago. A group of women, outraged by the toll of the war between two rival gangs, vow to withhold sex until the gangs talk peace.

NPR film critic Bob Mondello joins Here & Now‘s Eric Westervelt to talk about the film and its resonance to current events.

Guest

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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