[2] Set in Toronto, Ontario,[3] the film tells three distinct but interrelated stories about Black Canadian life in the impoverished Regent Park neighbourhood of the city.
[4] One focuses on "The General" (Maurice Dean Wint), a drug dealer trying to rebuild his life with the help of his brother Reece (Clark Johnson) after being released from prison; one centres on Jordan (Richard Chevolleau), an amateur boxer who is convinced to take part in a gay-bashing which forces him to finally confront his own repressed homosexuality; the third centres on Maxine (Rachael Crawford), a woman who has recently been dumped by her longtime boyfriend after having an abortion.
[5] All three stories are tied together by the voice of Rude (Sharon Lewis), a disc jockey for a pirate radio station in the neighbourhood.
[11] The film received eight Genie Award nominations at the 16th Genie Awards in 1996, for Best Picture, Best Director (Virgo), Best Supporting Actor (Johnson), Best Supporting Actress (Crawford), Best Screenplay (Virgo), Best Cinematography (Barry Stone), Best Editing (Susan Maggi) and Best Original Score (Aaron Davis and John Lang).
In 2017 the film was digitally restored by Technicolor, Toronto and Montreal, under the supervision of Virgo and producer Damon D'Oliveira.