Monstros e Homens

"Monsters and Men" (2018 release; 05 min.) brings the story of three black men. As the movie opens, a black guy (we later learn his name is Dennis) in his car is pulled over for no apparent reason. After the cops check his driver's license, they tell him "sorry to bother you, you are good to go", but what the cops don't know is that Dennis is a copy himself (off duty at that time). We then get to know Manny, who is filling out a job application to become a building security guard. After coming back home in Brooklyn, he notices a commotion, and comes close, filming the whole thing. A black guy in a store is surrounded by 6 or 7 cops. At some point a shot is fired and the black guy is killed. Later on, Manny struggles whether to release the footage. At this point we're 10 min. into the movie. In the third story line much later in the movie, we get to know Zyrich, a high school baseball phenom. To tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the feature-length debut from writer/director Reinaldo Marcus Green. Here he tackles an all too familiar topic these days: police brutality, in particular white cop against unarmed black man. It is very easy to fall in the trap of stereotypes (all cops are bad!!!), which this film thankfully avoids (unlike another recent movie--more on that later) hence credit must go to Green for providing a more nuanced perspective. In that sense, Dennis (the black cop) plays the most important role in the movie, and the casting of John David Washington is a stroke of genius, as he is outstanding, just as he was in "BlackkKlansman" earlier this year. Washington brings Dennis as an earnest guy who tries his best in a difficult environment. The story line of Manny is also top notch. So far, so good. Alas, the last third of the movie, centering around HS baseball phenom Zyrich falters badly. I see what Green is trying to do but it simple does not feel authentic or credible. But overall I still quite liked the film. This is in stark contrast to that other recent "white cop brutality against unarmed black man" themed movie, "The Hate U Give", in which there literally isn't a single decent white person (let alone a cop) in the movie and all African-Americans are 'good' (but for the token black drug king). By all means stay far away from "The Hate U Give".

"Monsters and Men" premiered at this year's Sundance film festival to good acclaim. It recently opened at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The early evening screening where I saw this at turned out to be a private screening as in: I was literally the only person in the theater. Hopefully this movie will garner a wider audience when it becomes available on more platforms. If you are interested in important social issues that are brought in a nuanced manner, I'd readily suggest you check out "Monsters and Men", be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

There are no stereotyped villains or good guys in this film, only different people reacting in different ways to the same event, which we never actually see. In that it resembles what we usually learn from what we regard as "news." This film is seriously under-rated and is one of the most realistic cop films I've ever seen.

If Monsters and Men were a more incendiary testimony to police brutality, as its title suggests, the audience would be fired up to demonstrate in favor of minorities who have been wronged in "stop-and-frisk" injustices. Fortunately, it's not more volatile; it is rather a thoughtful, albeit measured, rumination on racism and inequality.

Debut director, Reinaldo Marcus Green, takes a careful look at an event that sounds like the death of Eric Garner in 2014 Staten Island. In Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy neighborhood, Nuyorican Manny (Anthony Ramos) witnesses an innocent youth murdered by a policeman in an all-too frequent stop of young black men. Manny spends the first part of the film tortured about the right thing to do with his evidence.

In a second of three segments, black patrol officer Dennis (John David Washington) is conflicted between his loyalty to the force and his understanding of how the system does not favor black men. Although he's dropped from the rest of the film, he represents the moral quandary about the injustices and the fact that some characters will not follow the usual clichés of these message-type dramas.

The film doesn't so much as preach, either through voiceover or ponderous character, as it shows the daily indignities of young NYC black men in the white-dominated system that makes justice elusive for him and his peers.

In the final segment of the tryptic, Zyric (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) is a gifted young athlete forced by his conscience to join the protest against brutality and at the same time jeopardize his future to play pro baseball. Like Monsters and Men, Zyric asks you to join him deciding to do the right thing. Not everyone does.

There are far too many films that go unnoticed each year and fall by the wayside, being remembered as a little gem of the year that it was released. While Monsters and Men probably won't make any of my must-see lists, it's a shame that this particular movie probably won't find a large audience. It's stories like these that explore the issues we face on a day-to-day basis that never get seen. People ask for movies that they can sympathize with or relate to, but they hardly ever turn out to see them. It's sad to say, but most independent movies don't receive the box office return that they deserve. If you notice Monsters and Men playing in your city and are ready to sit down and witness something raw and true, then here's why I definitely recommend checking this one out.

After resisting arrest, a young man is unarmed but gunned down by the officer anyway. Monsters and Men follows characters during the aftermath of this police shooting and how it affects the lives of others, regardless of whether or not they had been related. The core story revolves around the teenager who filmed the shooting and how it affects him on an emotional level, a police officer who is ridiculed for the way that he chooses to look at the event, and a young baseball prospect, who happens to have a policeman as a father. The way these stories sort of intertwine will either work for you or it won't, but I found this particular story to be incredibly engaging.

Many viewers may be thrown off by the slow pace and long scenes of self-reflection, but I personally found these moments to non-verbally give depth to each of these characters. For instance, the opening sequence of the movie showcases an off-duty cop being pulled over, simply because the colour of his skin didn't sit well with the police officer who pulled him over. This sequence sets the overall message of the movie in motion and his police officer easily became my favourite portion of the film, delivering one of the best speeches I've heard all year. It's quite eye-opening and really makes you think twice about the way news and media manipulate stories on a daily basis.

Where this film started to lose me, however, was in its final few moments. Once the first two acts conclude and every message the film wanted to give has been given, you can clearly see where the film will probably end its run, and it does nothing to deviate from that. The story is the strongest when it's following these characters, but it becomes a very simplistic film by the end. I found myself wondering why the filmmakers chose to end on such an easy note, but it also doesn't hurt the movie in any way either. I was frustrated, solely due to the fact that the performances were terrific and the story progressed so nicely, but it chose to play it safe (possibly to not offend or manipulate any of its viewers).

In the end, Monsters and Men is an upcoming feature film that I don't believe is receiving anywhere near the marketing that it deserves, which is a real shame, due to the fact that it's quite a good film all around. From the quiet moments that build character, to the score that almost becomes its own character, to the continuous messages placed throughout the film, I was engaged from start to finish. There are surely some moments that play it too safe, but this is a very well-crafted story that deserves to be seen by many. I recommend checking it out if it's playing in your area, or even on demand eventually.

Watch "Fruitvale Station" (2013) instead of this rather tedious picture about police brutality. "Fruitvale Station" has got much more gut power and a far better coherent story about police brutality. The problem with "Monsters and Men" is that it force feeds a righteous message about police brutality. Everybody knows there is police brutality, but that fact doesnt make this movie interesting by simply repeating over and over again that the police are bad and that the victims are saints, using violins and soft focus photography. Too many violins at specific scenes felt forced. I dont like it when I get cued to feel sentimental NOW and NOW, because of a sudden overdose of violins and soft focus photography when a dad is playing with his children.

There is no real drama either, which is remarkable because the subject of police brutality has tons of it available, but the director somehow managed to turn this interesting subject of police violence into a somewhat tedious story. It starts out promising, but it is definitely lacking punch in the middle, because suddenly the leading character gets replaced by another and later on by another. Too bad this movie has got a whopping 3 different stories to tell, which only further weakens the power of this already rather slow movie.

Watch the brilliant and shocking "Fruitvale Station" (2013) instead of this slow (soft) surrogate...