Rating - 7.6:
Overall, a pretty good thriller that emulates the original play source material to discuss race relations in America, carried by André Holland's performance; However, because the original play is only one act, the movie feels dragged out as they attempt to stall for time to make the movie longer than it needs to be.
Direction - Pretty Good to Good:
The direction on a macroscale is pretty good, as they create this ominous world that the protagonist has to navigate through; the direction on a microscale feels like a play, as the director lets the actors act and work off each other; the storytelling is pretty good, as they inject the narrator into the story to help move it forward; they build tension pretty well, as it helps build tension and unease throughout the movie
Story - Pretty Good:
The concept builds on the one-act play "The Dutchman," but it honestly feels like it is trying to stall for time in new parts; the plot structure is centered around a one-act play, but has elements added to elongate this one act; the character writing is very good as each character has an important part in displaying racial issues in America
Screenplay - Pretty Good to Good:
The dialogue feels very theatrical, which makes sense because this is based on a play; the symbolism is very profound, as the messages deal with what it means to be Black in America and relations between white and Black populations in the country; the foreshadowing is present and plays a part toward the end
Acting - Good:
André Holland - Good to Very Good (Truly embodies the protagonist as he takes control of the movie and the tone throughout the film; he makes his scene partners better as if he were on stage for a play), Kate Mara - Good (Plays a real sinister character that creates a sense of unease whenever she's on screen; she has good chemistry with Holland in creating this dynamic that exposes racial tension in America), Zazie Beetz - Pretty Good to Good (A more subdued character, but she makes her presence known onscreen and has good chemistry with Holland), Stephen McKinley Henderson - Pretty Good to Good (An ominous figure, always present throughout the story, acts as the narrator, helping move the story forward), Rest of the cast - Pretty Good (It does a pretty good job supporting the main cast and acting as a background for the two-person scenes, emulating a play)
Cinematography - Good:
I took some liberties to create unique shots that make the movie interesting and captivating
Production Design - Decent to Pretty Good:
It helps make the movie look like a play in some scenes, as if the story were already written before
Pacing - Pacing is an issue because the movie feels slow and it is stalling for time; the movie is based on a one-act play that is really only 50 minutes, so the 20-30 minutes they added show because it feels like they are stalling for time
Climax - Climax feels a little anticlimactic; the ending feels very unfinished
Tone - Tone is similar to other supernatural thrillers
Final Notes - Saw the secondary premiere at SXSW.
