(**) 

It’s a crime/drama/thriller premise that had some potential. If it was developed differently, it could have been a contender. 

A middleclass Black family is awakened in the night, in their home by an intruder. Chris (Nnamdi Asomugha, Sylvie’s Love), the dad, goes downstairs to investigate. He confronts a white older woman who looks deranged. There’s an incident. Police are called and Alex (Aja Naomi King, Sylvie’s Love), the wife and mother, afraid of the circumstance’s potential of becoming a racial incident, tries to manipulate things in the family’s favor. There’s a coverup.

First-time director/writer and lead actor Asomugha works from his script and that of co-writer Mark Duplass. Their screenplay seems to overlook improbable situations and over emphasize cliched ones. At one point mom is letting her two young daughters (Amari Alex Price and Aiden Gabrielle Price) view a body on the kitchen floor. If she’s a teacher, why would she let her impressionable offspring look at what could be a corpse? Why would she try to involve them in a scheme to change the facts?  

If the wife had viewed one episode of TV’s Law & Order, she would’ve known not to put her hands on a knife without a glove or other protection and to wipe away her fingerprints? That sloppiness doesn’t make sense. Also, would a seasoned investigating detective (Melissa Leo, Oscar winner for The Fighter) injudiciously and obviously interview minors without the presence of a parent, social worker or lawyer? In some states police can, in some states they can’t. Most often the hook for doing so is thinking that the kid has committed a crime. That is not the issue here. Add in the family’s paranoia about an unfair investigation and the racial cliches add up. They’re weak plot points that are standing on shaky ground.  

The script has holes, Asomugha’s acting and direction do not. Both build tension. You don’t really know what Chris, or the intruder originally did to get the family in such a predicament. That scene isn’t displayed. It’s a mystery. Yet the entire cast, including Manny Jacinto (Top Gun: Maverick) as a suspicious then sensitive cop, works the material and its racism, family strife and police misconduct, as best they can. It all leads to an ambiguous ending. A major disappointment.  

Alejandro Mejía’s claustrophobic cinematography pulls you into the dilemma.  Ryan Brett Puckett’s production design makes the home feel normal. Costume designer Phoenix Mellow’s clothes fit men, women and children perfectly. Art director Chelsea Morgan’s color palette is a bit dark, though it is night time. When music should show up to dramatize the moments, Kyle Townsend’s score does that trick. It’s as suitable as Dama Congdon’s editing the panic, dread and fear down to 82 minutes.

The short running time almost hints that this storyline needed one more throw-you-off-the-scent distraction or false crescendo. Ten more minutes of an unforeseen happening that could have made what’s on view a more viable drama. Asomugha’s instincts as a director are stronger than his intuition for what is a solid dramatic screenplay.  

Hard to determine if an audience will enjoy this unsettling drama. Too much misery for some. Not enough believable drama for others. Yet easy to like this young family. With some retooling this story, with its limited locations, might work better as a play than a movie.  

For information about the Tribeca Film Festival go to: https://www.tribecafilm.com
Visit Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.