Jamarcus Rose & Da 5 Bullet Holes (2025) and Positive Representation of Black Masculinity

Jamarcus Rose (played by Duane Ervin) is a young man living with his grandma, Esther (played by Ruthie Austin), after his mom passed away. He is an exceptional baseball pitcher, even being named Player of the Year in 2019 by his local team. One morning, his grandma tells him to get ready for his meeting with his mentor, Jasper (played by Stephen Cofield Jr.), who’s a member of the Big Brothers of America program. Despite his initial refusal, he agrees to meet Jasper, and the two soon bond over their similar traumas and backgrounds. But just when it looks like Jamarcus not only has made a new friend but also has a positive male role model in his life, tragedy strikes.

It’s no secret that Black communities in America often suffer the most from wealth inequality, which causes an increased crime rate in Black neighborhoods. This, in addition to an abundance of over-policing, creates an environment where many young men feel trapped with no positive male role models. We see that Jamarcus has no surviving male relatives he can look up to. His grandfather is dead, and his father is also gone. And we also see the negative impact it has on his view on life, feeling like he’ll never amount to anything. This is where Jasper comes in. You can feel the initial tension and slight animosity Jamarcus feels towards Jasper. He doesn’t want to have a “big brother” and feels that the program will give him no benefit.

However, Jasper is exactly the role model and big brother every young man needs. He’s respectful, attentive, empathetic, and gives great advice. He knew that Jamarcus wouldn’t be too enthusiastic about the Big Brothers of America program, so he skipped all the surface-level icebreakers. Instead, he takes Jamarcus to a baseball field and allows him to showcase his pitching talent. This puts Jamarcus at ease and allows for him to better connect to his mentor. After a long day of baseball, where Jasper gets six strikes in a row, he recognizes Jamarcus’s talent. He has full faith in Jamarcus’s skills and truly believes that he will become a superstar, even though Jamarcus doesn’t fully believe in himself. I love how invested in Jamarcus he is and how much of that brotherly love Stephen Cofield Jr. conveys through the character. He is perfectly cast for the role, and every scene with Jasper feels like a big step forward for positive masculinity. Even though we have several representations for positive masculinity in film, such as Waymond Wang and, most recently, David Corenswet’s Superman, Jasper feels much more personal and relatable for young men. This is something we need much more of to show these troubled young men that they are not alone. That they matter. And that they have inherent worth.

This is where the film hits the emotional core. Jamarcus reveals that his love for baseball came from his grandpa and wishes his mother were still alive to see him pitch. When Jamarcus opens up about his mother’s death and his own guilt over it, Jasper once again reassures him that his mother is still with him with every breath he takes and every beat of his heart. I couldn’t help but feel moved by his speech and his unique perspective on life itself. But this scene also highlights Duan Ervin’s full acting range. I love how he can effortlessly convey Jamarcus’s melancholy over his mother’s death, showing an emotional fragility rarely seen onscreen, especially by Black men. And his chemistry with both his co-stars, Stephen Cofield Jr. and Ruthie Austin, is off the charts. Seeing them converse about their childhoods and why Jasper joined the Big Brothers of America program is so wholesome and heartwarming that you can’t help but smile when you see it.

I want to also give proper credit to Ruthie Austin for her exceptional performance as Esther. You can see just how much she loves her grandson. Not only did she take him in after his mom died, but she also wants the absolute best for him. She works hard to provide a better life for him and signs him up for the Big Brothers of America program to teach him how to become a man, something she can’t do herself. Her monologue to Jamarcus shortly before he met with Jasper is absolutely heartwarming. You can feel every ounce of love she has for her grandson and every bit of pride she feels at the young man that he’s become. Even though she has a relatively small role, Ruthie Austin does everything in her ability to make the role as emotionally powerful as she can, showcasing her acting range and emotional empathy.

Now, I want to admit that I didn’t know about the Big Brothers and Sisters of America program prior to watching this movie. Despite the program’s name sounding almost synonymous with an authoritarian dog whistle, I’m very happy that such a program exists to help both young men and women stay off the streets and away from illegal drugs and to find purpose and feel appreciated. They provide these young people with mentors who act as, well, big brothers and sisters to them. These mentors help them grow and develop emotionally so that they feel confident, capable, and develop a sense of community. In a cruel and wicked world, the Big Brothers and Sisters of America provides a shining light that cuts through the darkness and provides a sense of hope.

I think Jamarcus Rose & Da 5 Bullet Holes is Marcellus Cox’s best-written movie. Compared to his previous films, where the writing can occasionally feel preachy, Cox has gone all in to make Jamarcus Rose & Da 5 Bullet Holes sound as natural as possible. Scenes will seamlessly flow and connect together to the point where you don’t feel like you’re watching a movie; you feel like you’re getting a first-class glimpse into an unsure young man’s personal life and the crossroads that lie in front of him. Every scene Cox writes in this short film strikes you like lightning, channeling raw emotion and unfettered passion to craft a powerfully impactful movie. This isn’t Marcellus Cox’s first short film (or even his first film), but it is by far his most influential, in my opinion. I have never been as emotionally broken by a film’s ending since Spike Lee’s Blackkklansman!

There are good films, and then there are great films. And Jamarcus Rose & Da 5 Bullet Holes is definitely the latter. To me, it doesn’t matter how long a movie is; it only matters how good it is. Marcellus Cox’s latest film is nothing short of a heartwarming and simultaneously heart-wrenching story from beginning to end. It gives you a hard look into the life of a young, talented man who’s been dealt a difficult hand. But it also shows just how powerfully effective some positive portrayals of healthy masculinity can go to help those in need. Empowered by strong writing, powerful acting, and a prevalent message, Marcellus Cox once again proves his immense talent for filmmaking and his affinity for deeply human storytelling and the sociopolitical issues surrounding Black communities.

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