"88" // TRIBECA 2022

BY MATEO MORENO

The political drama 88 has a lot on its mind and a lot of lofty ambitions, many of which it tackles quite well. The setting is during the next Presidential election of 2024. And although this isn't a Donald Trump world, this reality has plenty of similarities with ours. Femi Jackson (Brandon Victor Dixon) is our eyes in, a financial director of a Super PAC called "One USA." The main purpose of the Super PAC is to get Harold Roundtree (Orlando Bloom), a charismatic Democratic candidate for President and the real frontrunner. He believes in his candidate and his message of change, but his wife Maria (Naturi Naughton) doesn't buy into his rhetoric. One day, Femi begins to notice an irregular pattern appearing within the Super PAC donations. He needs a second set of eyes, so his friend Ira Goldstein (Thomas Sadoski), an investment banker, takes a look at it and is equally mystified by what he sees. What are these irregularities and donations all equaling up in various ways to the amount of 88? It's too strange of a pattern to be a coincidence. And once the investigation gains traction, an entire conspiracy begins to unravel.

88 is a high-stakes and high-concept political thriller that has a lot to say about the ick factor of behind the scenes government action, donations and also a lot to say about race in America. A subplot finds Maria trying to get a customer a loan who happens to be a black ex-felon, someone who's put his life back on track and works incredibly hard. Yet, no matter what she does, his future loan seems like an impossibility. Equal opportunities do not seem to exist to everyone. She also has a pointed conversation regarding race with her husband and the fact that their son loves Black Panther. While they both agree that he's an empowering character, Femi states that, "It's made a billion dollars" to which his wife counters, "For who?" Many conversations tackle question after question regarding race, even racism within their own community. They're powerful moments, paired with a worm hole of a conspiracy plot that just seems to get deeper and deeper. Not all of the twists work, not does all the dialogue but the very strong performances from the cast make it shine, especially Brandon Victor Dixon, Thomas Sadoski and Naturi Naughton. Dixon and Sadoski have a great chemistry together and are both thrillingly engaging and relatable. Naughton's performance is strong and assured, with a loving grace that matches her caring mother/wife character. Even though this is a fictional story, much of it feels real (especially with the plot being peppered by real life organizations and issues). It's a strong directorial effort from Ermose, one that should leave quite a sting once it all wears off.

GRADE: B+

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Eromose STARRING Brandon Victor Dixon, Naturi Naughton, Orlando Jones, Thomas Sadoski, William Fichtner, Amy Sloan SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2022 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: 88

"O.G." // TRIBECA 2018 REVIEW

BY MATEO MORENO

 

You always know I’m in for a treat when I see Jeffrey Wright is headlining a movie. Even if the movie ends up being so-so, his performance will be compelling and memorable. And true to that promise, Mr. Wright is a powerful presence in the gripping and absorbing in O.G., which breaks into a more realistic look at a man who has faced hard time and is itching to finally get out. Wright plays Louis, a prisoner in a maximum-security prison who has served 24 years, which was originally a 60-year sentence cut for good behavior. It’s clear from the first moment that he is a respected presence in the prison. He makes easy small talk with the guards and even when a detective pulls him in to try and get some information from him, they have a history and there’s a respect there. He gives strong advice to Beech (Theothus Carter), a new inmate to help him get through the days: “Dignity, self-respect, grace.” But all of that gets tested as he takes this new inmate under his wings, hoping to set him on the right path before he leaves this place behind.

What’s fascinating about the film is not only does it get the feelings, grit, and emotions right, but that the film is one of the few films to be shot inside Pendleton Correctional Facility. Most of the inmates and guards were actual inmates and guards, including Theothus Carter who give a strong performance as Beech. He is still currently in prison, as many of the prisoners still are, and their presence alone give the film a lived in and honest feel at life behind the walls. Wright is powerful in the lead role, a man who has paid for his crimes and wants to start anew, also realizing that he doesn’t know how he will adjust to the outside world and knows that he still has a lot of things to make peace with. Directed with a powerful hand by Madeline Sackler, O.G. stands out as an authentic and compelling look at a system that few of us have actually, and hopefully never will, experience

 

VERDICT: SEE IT

WRITTEN BY Stephen Belber DIRECTED BY Madeleine Sackler STARRING Jeffrey Wright, William Fichtner, Theothus Carter, Mare Winningham, Boyd Holdbrook, David Patrick Kelly. Playing as part of the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.

https://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/o-g-2018