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A Thousand and One (2023)

 


A Thousand and One is about a woman who kidnaps her own son from the foster care system in New York City.

Written and directed by A. V. Rockwell, the direction has come a long way since Feathers in 2018. It really makes me wonder who Rockwell's inspirations and mentors were because certain things need to be taught. As far as writing goes, it feels quite personal and a lot of the dialogue could only come from a New Yorker like Rockwell. While I'm curious what Rockwell does next I worry that if she doesn't branch out she'll put herself in an impossible situation and be known for these types of movies. Look at what James Wan did, he became known for horror then went off and did Aquaman.

Teyana Taylor is gorgeous and engaging in this film. You might recognize her from Coming 2 America. She plays the main character and has to carry the film even though the second part becomes more about her son than her, the film still focuses on her. She'll be in the remake of White Men Can't Jump, and at first, I wasn't down for it. Now I'm kinda looking forward to it.

I don't want to get into spoilers for the film and maybe my recommendation will be high enough to show how much I appreciated this film. It's a solid A-, I highly recommend it. 

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