Inspired by two provocative Basquiat paintings, Defacement focuses on a tense situation at the Illinois/Missouri border. Two young black men, Demarcus Brown and livewire cousin Ricky hold young pole dancer Anna Beth hostage at an old farmhouse on the banks of the Mississippi. Local Afro-American Sheriff Joyce McDonald must find out why and fast before time runs out and blood is shed. 

SYNOPSIS:

Defacement is inspired by two Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings made by him in the early 1980's: The Killing of Michael Stewart aka Defacement (1983) and Irony of a Negro Police Man (1981).

Set in the present day it focuses on a black mechanic, Demarcus Brown (26), who, during the course of one crazy night, kidnaps Anna Beth Crosbie (21), the young, estranged, white daughter of a Police Chief in Missouri, and takes her to a farmhouse, across the border in Illinois.

Demarcus' brother died in police custody a year earlier, but after the courts failed him and the police's own internal investigation ruled the death was accidental. These two things pushed Demarcus over the edge.

Seeking his own brand of justice, Demarcus, along with his live-wire younger cousin Ricky (23), are pushed further over the edge St. Louis Police Department arrive on the scene after picking up their trail.

In Illinois Black Maverick County Sheriff Joyce McDonald (42), is dealing with the aftermath of a State-Wide power cut, when she gets word of Missouri activity in her jurisdiction, and makes her way over to the farmhouse.

As time goes by fractures appear on both sides, inside the farmhouse, Demarcus and Ricky's relationship become strained when they stop seeing eye to eye on what direction they should take. Outside, the two police forces go head-to-head, with both fighting for superiority.

This gripping social thriller shows how far injustice can push one man, and how doing the right thing, no matter how belated, can rescue a situation that is out of control, but there will always be a price.