‘A Thousand And One’ Sundance Film Festival Review: A mother and son bear the weight of a brutal city in AV Rockwell’s new film

There is so much to love about AV Rockwell’s one thousand and one. The film chronicles the lives of native New Yorkers from 1994 to 2005, a period of transition in NYC. The atmosphere began to change as Stop and Frisk became overused, gentrification quickly displaced Harlem’s people, and the city’s culture gave way to sterilization. Now resources are even less available, the wage gap is irreparable and unaffordable. Inspired by this, Rockwell created a coming-of-age story about finding an identity and a chosen family.

The film begins in 1994, Inez De La Paz (Teyana Taylor) kidnaps her 6-year-old child Terry (Aaron Kingley Adetola) from the foster care system. She knows what to expect if he stays with the city, because she too is a product of the system. Inez finds refuge with a friend and her mother, who realizes Terry shouldn’t be with her. Her tough attitude makes her appear aggressive because she has no filter. Her attitude causes her to be dumped by her boyfriend and now she has to start over.

Inez calls all her contacts and no one wants to give her food and accommodation. She sees a “For Rent” sign and finally finds stable housing, but now she needs to find a job. Lucky, their lover who is now home from prison, moves in with them and gives Terry the father figure he never had. As Terry ages from 13 (Aven Courtney) to almost adulthood (Josiah Cross), both Inez and Lucky question whether they want to start a family with Inez, as they are both criminals and fear that the young man will become one Life becomes out sucked crime. , instead of creating a new path for himself.

one thousand and one is a character study that focuses on individuals who seek redemption and permanence, but poverty and crime prevent them from achieving that goal. Inez is a woman stuck in survival mode that makes her retreat into her head. Why did she kidnap Terry? Loneliness? Want to prove something? I don’t even think she knows, but she’s trying. Terry is a smart, sensitive and vulnerable young man who is a victim of circumstances. We see as he progresses that the city treats him like an enemy just trying to get by. With no fixed father figure in his life, he struggles with normal teenage problems and the brutality of the city streets.

There is a sense of nostalgia that I felt when I watched One Thousand and One. I grew up in NYC all my life and moved from the Bronx to Harlem when I was fourteen. The clothes, the mood, the streets I walked through as a child, and the threat of gentrification made this story so much more relatable. Rockwell doesn’t lie about the events of this film, it’s as real as it gets. Inez, Lucky and Terry are overwhelmed by their inner and outer lives as they try to survive the present and build a future for themselves as individuals and as a family. If you talked to any black or brown person who grew up in poverty in Harlem, they all have the same story.

Rockwell’s cinematography and Eric Yue’s cinematography have a velvety texture that makes the city look impressive. You can tell by the way he photographs that he knows the city, and he knows Harlem because it captures the neighborhood in the most authentic way I’ve seen in a long time. Teyana Taylor is so immersed in her environment that you can tell by her body language that she is familiar with and comfortable in this environment. Cross, Courtney and Adetola act with such feeling and awareness that they are completely in sync, creating a smooth path to the end of his character arc. The three are beautiful in their transmission and their ability to receive.

The only thing I like about the film is the length. It would have been good to shorten it to 15 minutes to let the audience get to this shocking revelation faster and give them time to process. Revelations from the third act leave the narrative level too wide open. Give us time to live with the new information before it’s over.

Inez said something that stuck in my mind: “Broken people don’t know how to love.” But that’s just not true. She cares for Terry, loves him and cares for him, and she shows it. Maybe not everyone’s version of love, but if you grew up with it, you know exactly where it comes from.

thousand and One is a love letter to NYC mothers, sons, daughters and cheaters. You have to live it to be it. That’s just the New York way.