By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Tanya Hamilton
Starring: Amari Cheatom | Anthony Mackie | Black Thought | Jamie Hector | Kerry Washington | Ron Simons | Wendell Pierce
Country: united_states
Year: 2010
Running time: 90
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0775543/reference
Chris says: “Tanya Hamilton’s truly independent, long-gestating project is personal cinema of the sort one rarely sees anymore. Set in 1976 Philadelphia, it reunites two former Black Panthers: Marcus (Anthony Mackie), who returns to his old neighborhood after years in exile and his old friend Patricia (Kerry Washington), who stayed behind to raise her daughter and foster a career. Hamilton’s evocation of a specific time and place matches her skillfulness in expressing its cultural meaning and significance: the film’s look (mixing in occasional archival documentary footage) and sound (vintage songs complemented by a score from The Roots) both feel utterly authentic and complement a heartfelt, passionately told story.”
Beth says: “Another compelling, charismatic turn by Mackie. His Marcus, a former Black Panther, has returned to his old Philadelphia neighborhood, hoping that the years have healed the wounds that forced him into exile, labeling him a snitch. Mackie portrays a man torn by the hopes and fears of both his past and present, placing at the movie’s foreground the emotional journey taken by this man, and those he loves, to keep their dreams alive.”