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Monsters and Men (15)
Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green
THIS is the first of a series of films to be released in the coming weeks which tackles police violence and abuse, racial profiling and racial tensions in the US head on.
The catalyst for this compelling debut feature by writer-director Reinaldo Marcus Green, which offers a unique perspective, is the killing of an unarmed black man following an altercation with white police officers outside a corner shop in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy.
But this drama has an unusual focus. The impact and ramifications of the shooting are seen through the eyes of African-American cop Dennis (John David Washington), young father Manny (Anthony Ramos), who captures the act on his mobile phone, and high-school baseball star Zyrick (Kelvin Harrison Jr), who becomes politicised by the incident.
Although the characters are known to each other their stories, refreshingly, are not interconnected. But they all have to grapple morally with making a stand. Dennis, who has been pulled over by police numerous times, feels he has to defend himself as a cop and the dangers he and his colleagues face daily when friends denounce this latest police violence.
Manny struggles with making his video public and raising his head above the parapet to bring the perpetrator to justice as he is harassed and threatened by the latter's fellow cops. While Zyrick, a victim of stop and search, puts his future baseball career on the line by attending a major demo calling for justice for Dennis Larson, the man killed by the police the night before his key game.
Very raw and powerful, this understated drama is beautifully shot and is driven by cracking performances from its three leading men. But its unconventional structure dilutes its energy and tension and keeps you emotionally at arms length.
Zyrick bends his knee at his baseball game at the end of the film and as the defiant chant “I am Dennis Larson” grows louder, director Green's aim to spark a new dialogue about law enforcement, community and racial violence in the US comes into sharp focus.
