By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Annie Silverstein
Starring: Amber Havard | Rob Morgan | Sara Allbright | Yolonda Ross
Country: united_states
Year: 2020
Running time: 105
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10008784/reference
Michael says: “Annie Silverstein’s narrative, feature debut tackles a teenage girl living in a desolate subdivision near Houston, TX, with an incarcerated mother and an absent father, and her next door neighbor, a black, aging rodeo rider who’s is struggling with the direction his life should take. Kris lives with her grandmother and little sister and longs for her mom’s release from prison so they can become a real family again. The problem is, despite her best intentions, Mom’s not so interested in good behavior while in jail. The other problem Kris has is the lack of much of anything going on in her town, and in her efforts to fit in with her high school colleagues, she throws a party in her neighbor’s house while he is out of town. When Abe gets back the next morning to find the results of the partying, and Kris scrambling to run away, things get pretty serious. Kris’ grandmothers pleads with Abe to not file charges — she doesn’t want a like-mother, like-daughter scenario — and he reluctantly agrees, having Kris work around the house for him instead. After a period of tough adjustment, Kris discovers Abe is a rodeo rider and becomes interested in learning how to ride, and after showing an aptitude for it with some of the young men Abe is training, he reluctantly starts to train her. But Kris’ world is a tough one, and she falls into some shady business that threatens to derail any hopes she has to move past her difficult past.
“Silverstein paints a pretty tough picture of poverty in the U.S., and the difficulty of rising above your circumstances. She takes her time developing the relationship between Kris and Abe that rings true, and ends the film on a realistic note that while could be a positive step, in no way paints a rosy future for the young woman. In her first film role, Amber Howard shows a great deal of promise as Kris, and seasoned actor Rob Morgan (THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO, MUDBOUND) brings the perfect amount of frustration and reluctance to accept the fact that he is aging out of his successful career. It’s a somber piece that is tough but rewarding 4 cats“