Thursday, August 8, 2019

'Luce' is a tantalizing movie that will infuriate some people

I remember how intrigued I was by the trailer for the new film Luce. It had the stylization and pacing of a thriller but also promised to explore some thorny issues of race and stereotypes, in other words it'd likely be a movie very much of the moment.

But the movie itself is not quite what was promised. It's hard to define what genre it is -- the score suggests a tension-filled suspense film -- but it's not. It's a drama, but not one that in any way is looking to move people emotionally, it's more of a button-pusher.

It has enough plot and complex characterization to spawn several different movies -- but its central plot revolves around an exceptional dreamboat high school student who was a child soldier in Africa, adopted by a white couple (played by Tim Roth and Naomi Watts, in what feels like a nod to the even more subversive Funny Games) and who seems to perpetually provoke the ire of his stern government teacher, played by Octavia Spencer in one of her best roles to date.

Much of the film revolves around whether Luce is what he seems. Is he a misunderstood kid with the world on his shoulders, the burden of being a black kid who's universally perceived as "one of the good ones" or his is a Machiavellian manipulator with sociopathic tendencies?

For much of the movie's running time it doe an effective job of keeping you guessing and its a testament to newcomer Kelvin Harrison, Jr's performance that he can seems profoundly creepy and sincerely earnest from scene to scene.

As the film unfolds, there are probably a few too many subplots, but the relationships between Luce and his parents and Spencer's character are fascinating and nuanced.

The racial dynamics of this film could have been handled clumsily, but instead the movie delves into some territory that I've almost never seen in a movie.

Still, the movie lays out the table so effectively in terms of building tension that the film's final act will likely feel like more of a whimper than a bang. I myself am torn about the movie's climax. On the one hand, a more conventional (re: violent) conclusion might have been entertaining but out of whack with the tone of the movie.

On the other hand, the film tees up so many ideas -- about #MeToo and white liberals and black on black prejudice, I could go on and on -- that the relatively grounded conclusion is the only way this film could have ended.

I appreciate that the film is unafraid to wade into some very controversial topics and I like that it doesn't provide easy solutions. There is no mustache twirling villain here or a heroic paragon of virtue. It's messy -- and arguably so is the movie.

I suspect that audiences seeking a slick adult thriller -- something akin to Joel Edgerton's The Gift -- will possibly be let down by the relatively low stakes at play here. Still, I will always back movies like these that are driven by very real world human concerns with actors performing at the top of their games.

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