Gather a bunch of teenagers together in a room, and usually what you sense is an abundance of hormones. But in “Louder Than a Bomb,” a documentary about a high school poetry slam of that name in
Chicago, it is earnestness that is thick in the air as these young writers convene and try to shape their emotions and observations into competition-worthy poetry.
The film, by Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel, follows four of the dozens of teams as they prepare for the 2008 event. One is the Steinmenauts, the previous year’s winner, and the other three are each built around one startlingly mature, confident poet.
Louder Than a Bomb documentary demo from Siskel/Jacobs Productions on Vimeo.