"Well if you can see what I'm going through, why are doing this to me?"
This is a rather somber film about a black family in Los Angeles struggling because the father can't find steady work, and it succeeds because of its simple honesty and realism. It doesn't rely on plot devices aimed at garnering pity, and it doesn't create needless melodrama. We simply see these characters for who they are, a man with a growing sense of emasculation by the world, and his wife who is struggling to do everything around the house with their kids and keep the family afloat. Things come to head when she realizes that he's been seeing an old girlfriend, and not bringing all of the money he does earn home to his family.
The 9-minute argument the two have in the kitchen at that point is easily the highlight of the film. Kaycee Moore is simply fantastic in this scene, and is such a natural at channeling the frustrations and anger of her character. It's a performance that I wish was more widely known and recognized ("I'm tired!"). It's also wonderful that we see quite a bit of her character's point of view in this film, as someone who works, cleans the house, manages the finances, and is as supportive as possible to her husband.
Nate Hardman is also solid as the husband, and it's to the film's credit that he's not a completely virtuous character and we have conflicting feelings about him. In addition to the big moments, we see how small frustrations and the economic pressure boil over in his relationship with his kids and wife. The supporting performances are quite as good as well, most notably the uncredited barber who gives him pragmatic advice about getting a job, which felt completely authentic. The direction from Billy Woodberry in what was his master's thesis at UCLA (wow!) is wonderfully restrained, and it's a damn shame that he had so few opportunities after this debut.
This is a rather somber film about a black family in Los Angeles struggling because the father can't find steady work, and it succeeds because of its simple honesty and realism. It doesn't rely on plot devices aimed at garnering pity, and it doesn't create needless melodrama. We simply see these characters for who they are, a man with a growing sense of emasculation by the world, and his wife who is struggling to do everything around the house with their kids and keep the family afloat. Things come to head when she realizes that he's been seeing an old girlfriend, and not bringing all of the money he does earn home to his family.
The 9-minute argument the two have in the kitchen at that point is easily the highlight of the film. Kaycee Moore is simply fantastic in this scene, and is such a natural at channeling the frustrations and anger of her character. It's a performance that I wish was more widely known and recognized ("I'm tired!"). It's also wonderful that we see quite a bit of her character's point of view in this film, as someone who works, cleans the house, manages the finances, and is as supportive as possible to her husband.
Nate Hardman is also solid as the husband, and it's to the film's credit that he's not a completely virtuous character and we have conflicting feelings about him. In addition to the big moments, we see how small frustrations and the economic pressure boil over in his relationship with his kids and wife. The supporting performances are quite as good as well, most notably the uncredited barber who gives him pragmatic advice about getting a job, which felt completely authentic. The direction from Billy Woodberry in what was his master's thesis at UCLA (wow!) is wonderfully restrained, and it's a damn shame that he had so few opportunities after this debut.