'Atrabilious' is a dark comedic psychological thriller that is the sophomore feature of writer/director William Atticus Parker, who at 19 years old has shown more talent than filmmakers with more films under their belt. It follows Steven Joyner as he tries to solve the mystery behind his son's sudden, tragic and potentially fabricated death. Parker does an incredible job building suspense/intrigued as to where the story would be going thanks to some fascinating twist and turns. For its budget, this was a visually arresting film with Parker using neon so well, that some shots felt straight out of a Nicolas Winding Refn film. Besides serving as writer/director, he also acts in it, serves as the editor and cinematographer, and I have nothing but respect for a filmmaker who wears that many hats on one film. His editing was strong as the film runs 103 minutes but passes by smoothly as I was fully engaged during the entire run time. I haven't seen his first film 'Forty Winks', but based on his work here, I will most definitely try getting around to it sooner rather than later. He is the son of Billy Crudup & Mary Louis Parker, and it's safe to say he inherited their incredible talent & love for the craft. I can't wait to see what the future holds for him.
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Leon Addison Brown, who I mostly remember from 'The Knick' is excellent in the lead role. He's very subdued but he holds the film together with a commanding yet rather heartbreaking performance. The film has a stacked supporting cast of legends and well respected character actors and everybody does what's needed. Jeffrey Wright had two scenes and leaves his mark on the film as his scenes are important and he makes the most out of limited screentime. Mark Boone Junior is devilishly good in a role that is tailor made for him and his strengths. However, my favorite of the supporting performances was Evan Jonigkeit, who similar to his work in 'The Empty Man' and 'Archive 81' just knows how to get under your skin with his chilling performances. The minor issues I may have with the films aren't knocks as he's a young filmmaker finding his voice and doing a great job at it, so there will clearly be some growing pains.
