The Obituary of Tunde Johnson

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?".

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!

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.

I've seen a lot of "groundhog" day movies. Some I really liked, some not and some of them I just liked the first time. Most of them were funny and I surely mourned the dead.

But I was never so attached. I've never been as distressed and sad about every single dead and I've never been so scarred for the upcoming even I knew it comes.

I'm shocked and I'm so so sorry.

Firstly, I'm dedicated to writing honest and thoughtful reviews in full english words without all caps, exclamation points and other useless shapes. Secondly, I gave this movie a 6 because the atypical character perspective puts well known topics in review from layers that are unique and worthy of discussion. However, the execution can use some work. I didn't find too much character development to understand why they behaved the way they did or why I should ultimately care about it. With such a strong opening scene, I became invested in the character but then quickly lost him to a lot of general subject matter. The secondary characters were also so one dimensional and lost in "subjects" that it almost made the topics unserious.

I would recommend this movie for mature audiences that are curious about a unique take on a pervasive subject matter - but I would not make it movie night material due to lack of coherent character and story development.