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A Thousand and One
(2023)
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Aramide Tinubu
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A Thousand and One is a character study of one woman’s choices, her love for her son, and the countless obstacles she encounters just getting through the minutia of her life. It is vivid and gutting.
Posted Jan 25, 2023
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Is That Black Enough for You?!?
(2022)
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Aramide Tinubu
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With his outstanding analysis, dazzling clips, and compelling reflections, Is That Black Enough For You?! will undoubtedly be a staple in cinema studies and for the causal cinephile for decades to come.
Posted Oct 31, 2022
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Bones and All
(2022)
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Aramide Tinubu
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Deeply intriguing, Bones and All is nothing like one might expect, but in the end, you'll be glad you've devoured every bloody drop of it.
Posted Oct 27, 2022
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Devotion
(2022)
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Aramide Tinubu
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The acting, specifically that of Majors and Jackson, the intense battle sequences, Majors and Powell’s chemistry, and the emotional moments make it worthwhile.
Posted Sep 22, 2022
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2/5
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Good Hair
(2009)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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What is, in effect, a wasted opportunity...
Posted Sep 20, 2022
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Abaabi ba boda boda
(2015)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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A vivid look into the life of a Ugandan teen on a mission to save his family’s
livelihood...
Posted Sep 20, 2022
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Ayanda and the Mechanic
(2015)
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Shannon M. Houston
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If Ayanda is any indication of the stories Ava DuVernay plans to get behind, we have every reason to be excited about the work ARRAY is doing, as well as any future projects from Sara Blecher.
Posted Sep 20, 2022
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The Supreme Price
(2013)
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Fariha Roisin
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It is a deeply profound and beautiful experience, and an integral film to watch.
Posted Sep 20, 2022
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Blue Bird
(2011)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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The themes of life and death pervade the film – not in any morbid or depressing kind of way, but in sometimes childlike curiosity...
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Out of My Hand
(2015)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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Both of the moment and timeless...
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Babygirl
(2012)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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The nuance of these characterizations, along with the great dialogue and director Vallely’s strong script, makes Babygirl a touching, compelling and recommended film to watch.
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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I Am Thalente
(2015)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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Thalente is a charismatic, and relatable, person who you want to root for because he works hard to master an art form that he is passionate about, stumbling, smiling, and winning along the way.
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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The Summoning
(2015)
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Ashlee Blackwell
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This is a significant step for African American-oriented genre programming on a cable network.
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Miles Ahead
(2016)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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It’s good enough; but given the legend that is the subject matter, and the paucity of films in which his story is central, I’d argue that it needed to be better than "good enough" – if not great...
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Ninth Floor
(2015)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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It’s one thing to hear of such events happening in the distant past, but quite another to watch them replay on film in sync with current events...
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
(2014)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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I can’t think of a recent blockbuster that’s been raked across the coals as much as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Moloch Tropical
(2009)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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There’s more than enough in Moloch Tropical that I strongly recommend it, if it happens to come your way, or eventually becomes widely available on home video.
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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The Homestretch
(2014)
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Fariha Roisin
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The devastation of watching these kids is realizing how much they have to give. Their lives are as valuable as mine, or yours, yet due to circumstances, they are given little-to-zero agency over the outcome.
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Gun Hill
(2012)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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With all the romantic comedies and reality programming vying for black audiences’ attention, having a solid police drama like this on television will be a refreshing change.
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Bad Hair
(2013)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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Buoyed by instinctive performances (especially the powerful Samantha Castillo as Junior’s mother Marta) and an unnerving score, "Bad Hair" may just be this year’s foreign sleeper hit.
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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3.5/5
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Life Itself
(2014)
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Michael Jones
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Unlike many of the films Mr. Ebert reviewed in his latter years, I never once felt manipulated.
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Boyhood
(2014)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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...it’s hyperbolic in its minimalism and boring in spots and its overall narrative reach often exceeds its grasp. Even still, it’s one of the most important movies of the decade so far and you should experience it just to say you did.
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Tales of the Grim Sleeper
(2014)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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This is by no means groundbreaking filmmaking, but its ideas are challenging, which, in a story like this one, is crucial.
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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The Double Steps
(2012)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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It’s hard to negatively criticize a film like this; its originality, art direction and spontaneous moments of hilarity make up for the lack of narrative value.
Posted Sep 15, 2022
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Finding the Funk
(2013)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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A crash course in the origins and influence of funk music from the legends that made it popular.
Posted Sep 14, 2022
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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
(2014)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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The fact that “Dawn of The Planet of The Apes” is a summer tent-pole with a brain and a conscience shouldn’t be this refreshing...
Posted Sep 14, 2022
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Lesson Before Love
(2011)
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Andre Seewood
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A film we should all be watching for the alternative lessons about love learned by the characters and the lessons about independent cinema that can be learned by the viewers.
Posted Sep 14, 2022
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Spies of Mississippi
(2014)
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Zeba Blay
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Spies of Mississippi is as cohesive as it is engaging, another interesting portrait of a time in our past too often regarded as a sort of ancient history.
Posted Sep 14, 2022
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Jimi: All Is by My Side
(2013)
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Zeba Blay
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What’s left is a good performance by Benjamin, some interesting set pieces, and the general feeling that something, still, is missing.
Posted Sep 14, 2022
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Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story
(2014)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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Ultimately, Sound of Redemption honors the life of a noted musician, but doesn’t quite make the same impact as its subject or the music he left behind.
Posted Sep 14, 2022
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Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People
(2014)
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Zeba Blay
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A history reaching far back into the past and shining a light on those who paved the way for everyone, all of us, to affirm our own identities through the images we take of ourselves and each other.
Posted Sep 14, 2022
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3.5/5
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The Equalizer
(2014)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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The film is worth seeing to watch Denzel deliver his trademark slow burn gaze.
Posted Sep 14, 2022
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Keep on Keepin' On
(2014)
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Zeba Blay
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Keep on Keepin’ On is a poignant if slow meditation on music, life, and legacy.
Posted Sep 14, 2022
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Supremacy
(2014)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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Supremacy rests on a premise that makes for high drama and surprise, though it’s not always executed. It’s the stuff of nightmarish fiction but the nonfiction source material adds a level of depth to its commentary on racism and race...
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Belle
(2013)
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Zeba Blay
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Belle forms a rather interesting complement to another Fox Searchlight property, Steve McQueen’s much lauded 12 Years a Slave...
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Four
(2012)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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Anchored by strong performances by its four leads, Four is an intense and uncomfortable drama, yet certainly worth the watch.
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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As Above, So Below
(1973)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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The cleverness of the film comes in Clark's insistence on subverting those very stereotypes of church-goers as passive, and activists as militant through humor, turning the idea of insurgency on its head, in service of a united vision.
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Fragrance
(1991)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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A particularly moving film in its layering of familial connectedness and division, rich performance by the likes of Roy Fegan and Fumilayo, and its privileging of various perspectives on the role of military involvement for African Americans...
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Illusions
(1983)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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A black woman’s voice serves as the foundation for musical harmony and cohesiveness in film, while her face and personhood are never considered. Both Mignon and Esther are perceived as something they are not within a system that denies them...
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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My Last Day Without You
(2011)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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My Last Day Without You falls in line with a new wave of sensible stories with a diverse cast of characters that don’t need to use “race” as the cinematic conflict that binds the story.
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Five Star
(2014)
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Zeba Blay
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Five Star is a compelling portrait, and a refreshing take on a setting and characters too often sensationalized.
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Evolution of a Criminal
(2014)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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There’s no easy answer, and Monroe’s documentary is anything but easy. It’s a textured look at environment, economic reality, and dreams blighted by a need to survive.
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Fatal Assistance
(2012)
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Karina Griffith
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We have been too blissful in our ignorance. Sure, it's tedious, but a clear conscience comes at a cost.
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Imperial Dreams
(2014)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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With rich storytelling, fine acting, and captivating cinematography and score by Flying Lotus, the movie is a cinematic achievement.
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Dreams Are Colder Than Death
(2014)
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Nijla Mu'min
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Dreams Are Colder Than Death revives a conversation that tends to get lost in falsities of post-racial equality.
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Surviving Progress
(2011)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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Muddled with no motivation...
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Dear White People
(2014)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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It’s remarkable how Simien keeps his film moving at such a breakneck pace, each line a reference to or a commentary on pressing sociological concerns that are rarely spoken about this openly.
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Michael Jackson's This Is It
(2009)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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I think any fan of MJ’s will appreciate what "This Is It" offers – a glimpse of a Michael that I don’t think we ever really got to know, and the final steps of a genius, fully dedicated to his craft...
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Nightcrawler
(2014)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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Although I was able to put aside my knowledge that nothing occurring in this film would happen in reality, there are moments in the film where I was pulled out of it...
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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Diego Star
(2013)
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Shadow and Act Staff
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It isn’t a hopeful film about “the truth setting you free,” or about reigning justice. But it is a moving drama anchored by Sawadogo’s layered, splendid performance.
Posted Sep 13, 2022
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