A Thousand and One

A social drama that is not as predictable as first thought. Fashion model, actress and artist Teyana Taylor stars as the restless and determined Inez. I have never seen her in a film role before, but I can say that she carries this film to a great extent. The film is written by A. V. Rockvell, who also directs. The film largely succeeds in being an engaging drama about an era from the mid-90s and 10 years into the future. The film depicts difficult social conditions, this time the action is set in New York. The liberating thing about the film is that even though the main character faces a lot of opposition and is far down the ladder financially and socially, she never gives up. The film could easily have ended as a description of misery, but Teyana makes sure to give life and commitment to the main character who appears as a primal force who fights fiercely for what she believes in.

I won't reveal the surprising element here, but I'm looking forward to upcoming films from A. V. Rockwell. We need films that give us insight into exciting characters. Not everything has to be popcorn movies.

It's a drama about what makes a family set in New York City, mostly Harlem, between 1994 and 2005. It follows a high-energy but emotionally-damaged young African American woman who tries to create a family in compensation for the one she never had.

In 1994, Inez (Teyana Taylor) has just been released from a prison term for stealing. She is hot-headed and confrontational and has difficulty maintaining relationships. Inez sees her son on the street, a ward of the state, and in foster care. When Terry (Aaron Kingsley Adetola/Aven Courtney/Josiah Cross) is injured in a fall, Inez goes to the hospital and convinces him to leave with her secretly. She cautions him not to leave their living quarters because the state would seize him again. She arranges fake papers for Terry under a different name.

We follow a deep relationship grow between Inez and Terry. Later Lucky (Will Catlett), Inez's partner who has just emerged from prison, joins the small family. Lucky and Terry also develop their own relationship, even as Inez and Lucky have a sometimes rocky one. We learn that Terry is brilliant but has a very reserved personality. Counselors at school encourage him to attend a tech school for gifted children, to which Terry reluctantly assents. Finally, before Terry turns 18, multiple events cause chaos for Inez and Terry, with a particular twist at the film's end.

"A Thousand and One" is a taunt, well-done drama. Teyana Taylor, who is very striking in appearance and dominates the screen any time she is on it, carries the movie. Will Catlett is an excellent Lucky. Aaron Kingsley Adetola is remarkable as the six-year-old Terry. However, I found Aven Courtney and Josiah Cross less impressive as the teenage Terry. Perhaps the problem was the script; for someone as smart a teenager as the film portrayed Terry, he seemed too passive concerning his surroundings and his questions about his early personal history.

This movie was so well done, from start to finish! The talented cast seamlessly conveyed the compelling storyline. Moving the audience through their heartfelt emotions. I really enjoyed the movie and every emotion I have was stirred. Highly recommend seeing it if you havent already. Teyana is an amazing actress!. I loved the 90s vibe, and I was completely shocked by the plot twist. I definitely wasn't expecting that outcome. I really enjoyed the movie and every emotion I have was stirred. Highly recommend seeing it if you havent already. Teyana is an amazing actress!. I loved the 90s vibe, and I was completely shocked by the plot twist. I definitely wasn't expecting that outcome. I guess my next question would be...what's next?

"Why do you keep leaving me?" Terry ( Aaron Kingsley Adetola)

While this lament in the remarkable A Thousand and One is from a 6-year-old Harlem kid to his ex-con mother, Inez (Teyana Taylor), it stands for those who regret the quickly gentrifying part of NYC that is losing its black identity to white incursions.

So goes one of the best dramas of the year as that feisty mom steals the son she lost from a foster home to create a home that she regularly leaves to fight for with "no tools" other than her remarkable energy and combativeness. As we navigate the many episodes of her fight and watch her Terry grow into an intelligent albeit muted young man, first-time writer/ director A. V. Rockwell nimbly shows the changes overcoming Harlem in the nineties and the young Terry during 15 years rising academically to qualify for NYC's noted tech schools. As in Moonlight, we see a seamless transition among the three actors in the three stages of Terry's life.

One of the stars of this accurate and humane melodrama is DP Erik K. Yue, whose lens captures the changes with a sharp eye for the telling detail, like graffiti and corporate businesses replacing long-lost street artistry and bodega charm. Not needing such eye-pleasing photography are the aggressive policing tactics, notably the stop-and-frisk action that affected young black males more than any other minority. When Terry is accosted, his muted reaction emphasizes the quiet terror that dogged young men in nineties Harlem.

Not all is gloom in A Thousand and One, for Lucky (William Catlett, a combo of Idris Elba and Delroy Lindo) exemplifies strong black males with big hearts and the flaws that too-often accompany such gifts. Lucky marries Inez perhaps not realizing the collateral damage mother and son can inflict. Yet, he does contribute to their welfare, mostly in wise counsel. For Terry, he provides the impetus to make his own decisions. As in the drama itself, Lucky shows that tough conditions accompany a tough life, and self-reliance, like Mom's, is the key to eventual deliverance.

My guest critic on It's Movie Time, Mindy Mcfann, claims this is the best movie she's seen in years. Pay attention to her-she has impeccable taste about street drama.

This features quite a strong performance from a convincing Teyana Taylor. She is "Inez" who decides that she wants to reclaim her young son "Terry" from his life on the streets of New York. What now ensues illustrates quite well the difficulties they both face as they both grow up with little by way of opportunity - or money - but determined to stick together despite their not always seeing eye to eye. Along the way, she marries "Lucky" (William Catlett), a decent man who offers some stability and it begins to look like "Terry" (by this stage played by Josiah Cross, but played well as a child by Aaron Kingsley Adetola) might just have a chance. Thing is, as the audience know by now, the relationship between mother and son is not as it seems - and the impending action of the authorities, coupled with a rather unscrupulous landlord, look like the wrecking ball is en route to their dreams. It meanders a bit too much for me, this film. It could have easily lost twenty minutes and the writing could have focussed better on developing the "Terry" character a little more, but it's still quite a powerful assessment of family values, loyalty and civic indifference that ought to make anyone sit up and take notice. It doesn't need a big screen - but is worth a watch on the telly.