So today ended up being a bit of a downer at the Sundance Film Festival. I guess that is to make up for seeing 2 comedies yesterday but I feel pretty drained tonight! It’s not every day I see a double header of a documentary on sexual assault in the hip hop industry followed by a devastating film about a young man in inner-city Baltimore. Phew!

Well, let me dry my eyes and tell you what I thought of both films:

On the Record

When I selected my tickets I actually didn’t know the title of this film. I was concerned about timing and missing films so I tried to keep to 1 building a night on the weekdays. This Untitled Project was showing at the Rose Garden Theater so I took a chance on it, and I’m glad I did. On the Record is a sobering look at the impact of metoo movement on black women and it is one of the better examples of this kind of documentary I’ve seen.

The film focuses on a woman named Drew Dixon who worked as a producer for music mogul Russell Simmons. We then learn about how Simmons preyed upon her and raped her as a young woman. As disturbing as that is, the film tells more women’s stories who were attacked by Simmons but then it goes further. We learn about the historical, cultural and musical underpinnings of this type of behavior by men and why black women are reticent to speak out and embrace the new movement.

I see things like On the Record and I count my blessings I have always been sheltered when it comes to men. I’ve never been violated or threatened by any man and it’s sad how rare that is these days. I hope that as women share their stories they can heal, and we can help stop these attacks from happening in the future.

My only critique of On the Record is we find out that Drew left her husband after the reveal and we see her without her children. I would have liked to learn more about that situation but I guess you can only tackle so much in one movie. Well done!

8 out of 10

Smile Worthy (feels weird to say that on such a sobering topic but it was well done!)

Charm City Kings

The second film of the night was Charm City Kings by director Angel Manuel Soto. I must admit I going into this film I thought it was a comedy, and it can be 7.5 funny, but it is actually a grueling coming of age film that can be quite devastating.

The film stars Jai Di’Allo Winston as teenager who loves working on motorcycles and would love to join the dirt bike gangs his older deceased brother once rode in. He has 2 friends (that are very funny) and a lot of mentors and guardians who are pulling hard for this young man to not have the same fate as his brother but fate seems to be constantly pulling him in that direction.

Charm City Kings does a really good job building tension. In especially the 3rd act I felt so wound up and anxious to see what was going to happen. It was very stressful but in a good, gripping way.  The performances are also great across the board.

I am still pondering the ending. It is a bold choice and a side of me wishes they had gone with something different (no spoilers). I also don’t know if I 100% buy the ending for the characters but whatever. It’s still a strong film that had me engrossed the entire time. It is a hard R rating with lots of language and violence so it won’t be for everyone, but I’m glad I saw it.

7.5 out of 10

Smile Worthy

So there you have it! 2 more films watched at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. On to 2 more tomorrow!