The film finds its purpose most pointedly when it zeroes in on the unambiguous relationship between Holiday and “Strange Fruit.”
The images gorgeously embody both the fear and the beauty of James’s exploratory experiments with socialization.
As a metaphor for the way we respond to the media, the film succeeds most when it revels in ambiguity.
Director Aimee Lagos seems to be at odds with her own film, like a well-meaning but controlling parent hell-bent on choosing a child’s college, major, and fraternity for them.
Mark and Jay Duplass add an easy everything-is-connected spirituality to their established and by now unwieldy stew of modes and themes.
At the core of 96 Minutes is Dre, the film’s only source of real, relatable emotion, thanks in large part to a compelling performance by Evan Ross.
There’s a certain lurid fascination at play in Damian Harris’s fictional account of the abduction and sexual abuse of an eight-year-old girl.
Though based upon a specific true story, Pride most closely resembles virtually every other inspirational Hollywood melodrama.
Chris Robinson skews more toward Roll Bounce authenticity than Belly superficiality with ATL.