The Obituary of Tunde Johnson

I normally don't write reviews, but after watching this one I felt like I needed too. To begin, this movie was very well done from the soundtrack to the shooting of the many different prospectives that revolved around the same scene. The actor Steven Sliver does an amazing job playing tunde, being black in America can be a horrific and an anxiety filled mess. I know from personal experience. That fact that he plays a gay man further brings it home for me. I felt every interaction. His co stars Spencer Neville and Nicola Peltz really make a well rounded cast each actor providing a different layer to the story that is very well woven into the experience. If your reading this review, give the movie a chance to speak to you, it gives an unbiased perspective, that is not easy to forget.

In the account of Tunde Johnson, a wealthy Nigerian-American youth, tragedy strikes when he is fatally shot by the police during a routine traffic stop. Yet, his demise is not final, as he finds himself ensnared in a perplexing time loop, condemned to relive the day of his untimely demise repeatedly. This ordeal compels Tunde to confront profound truths about his existence and grapple with the complexities of his identity.

Despite the weighty themes of racism and police brutality, the narrative execution falls short of its potential. While the portrayal of the interracial gay relationship between Tunde and Soren is commendable, the story's delivery lacks the gripping tension necessary to convey its message effectively. The cast, including Spencer Neville as Soren and Nicola Peltz as Marley, delivers solid performances, but the overall impact of the film feels somewhat squandered.

Whatever the director was thinking, it stayed in his head. For the rest of us, we watch a movie that flashes with greatness, shows potential, and leaves us with Meh, whatever.

I enjoyed most of the story, sometimes the main character is a bit frustrating not to learn from his situation, but your drawn into his life and looking at possibilities. Then the director wants to end it all artsy and you're left with "that's it?".

Flawed (aren't we all) but boldly creative. First, LeRoi is responsible for the inimitable "Everybody Hates Chris". Second, it's a sincere attempt to analyse the reality of "driving while Black". Third, certain elements of this film are unlikely to have happened at all without Barry Jenkins's "Moonlight" (2016); but where Jenkins wove a thread of class critique throughout his landmark black-on-black outing, LeRoi's piece is set in a body-temperature porridge of privilege, be that black or white. The fact that Tunde's paramour is a classic white jock in denial is key to the huge difference in tone and intention between Jenkins and LeRoi. That said, LeRoi was wise to choose someone with the depth of Steven Silver, whereas the actor Neville tends to be two-dimensional. The mix of sci-fi, Groundhog Day and drama is an adventurous one with all the attendant risks. I recommend partnering the film with the outstanding "Fruitvale Station" (2013, Ryan Coogler), a director Tunde claims to adore, along with writer Teju Cole (Nigerian) whose debut novel "Open City" knocked the critics sideways. Certainly, LeRoi is anchored and has done his homework, which suggests his collaboration on Chris Rock's turkey "Head of State" was to pay off some grim lawsuit. Interestingly, the undercurrent of this movie explain the extraordinary friendship between the "hated" Chris and his white sidekick Stanley and LeRoi's evident understanding of the many faces of love. But back to the class issue: note that most of the young blacks recently slaughtered in the US are from the so-called "lower" classes. Meanwhile, the roadside pullover by white cops references the parallel scene in "Crash" with the wealthy black couple's humiliation. Driving while black is neither a joke nor a media fantasy, it's an everyday reality for thousands of American citizens whose deficit of whiteness puts them in the wrong place at the wrong time. "I will no longer die, I have become two hundred hills rolled into one, I am immovable," quoth Tunde on his nth round of assassination (the right word for his mode of death). Screenwriter Stanley Kalu has done an astonishing job, especially since he and the director anticipated George Floyd's murder and the consequent BLM movement, whose echoes will continue to resound worldwide as long as race continues to divide: the dying Tunde is on the ground in a police stranglehold and tries to utter the words "I can't breathe".

This timely film courageously addresses multiple issues: racial profiling, homophobia, police brutality, drug addiction, mental health and more. The 'time loop' structure can seem tiresome after awhile, however, each time we come back to a familiar scene it is presented in a refreshing way. I highly recommend this film!