BlackWhite, Sunlight Productions, Treehouse Films (II),
Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer, Jillian Estell, Bill Burr, Jennifer Ehle, Andre Holland, Gillian Jacobs, Anthony Mackie
Elliot Anderson (Kevin Costner) is grieving. His daughter ran off when she was 17 with an older African-American guy who was a criminal, a crack user, and she died giving birth to her daughter. After she died, Elliot and his wife raised the little girl, Eloise (Jillian Estell) until a tragedy took her Grandmother Anderson away. When this happens, her paternal Grandmother, Rowena (Octavia Spencer) determines to challenge Elliot’s custody. Elliot wants the best for his granddaughter and does not want her exposed to her father’s life style, but his life is in turmoil and Rowena is determined to let Eloise experience the other half of her family.
This is a touching drama. It’s slightly about racism, how could it not be with the elephant in the room. But it’s more about pain and sorrow, with a strong dose of love mixed in. Never really heavy handed, the cast is really good. Kevin and Octavia are both outstanding actors who play their parts very well. Jillian is also perfect as the little girl. There are several other characters that add a great deal to the enjoyment of the movie. The struggles are played out very smartly, and the pain is really obvious. No one here is a bad guy and they all want the best despite their own limitations. This was a film that I found riveting, and I was deeply moved by it as I watched. I expected this to be pretty good, but it has far more to offer than I expected. This films shows both sides of Los Angeles and the good and bad in each. I really loved the way the story was unfolded and I was very impressed with the cast, the script, the location, and the story. This is one I highly recommend. If you have teens, watch it with them and talk about what you see. It is a very good film and I highly recommend it.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
