by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
What is bringing us all back to the theaters? For most people, it is the big-budget spectacles that put butts in seats. Tom Cruise took us all up into the sky one more time in Top Gun: Maverick. James Cameron made us wait a while, but we finally got Avatar: The Way of Water, and EVERYONE saw it apparently. Recently, we got Creed III, Scream VI, and John Wick: Chapter 4. But the hope is that people start going back for all types of films again. Here is the perfect opportunity to check out a truly moving and poignant film experience unlike any of those spectacle films: A Thousand and One.
What does writer/director A.V. Rockwell deliver in this feature debut? Teyana Taylor brings Inez de la Paz to life — she’s a woman who takes rash and unexpected chances to rebuild the relationship she has with her son, Terry. Inez gets out of prison and finds her son in foster care. When she fears losing him forever, she kidnaps her own son to raise him like she has always wanted to. Over the course of 11 years, we see Inez and Terry trying to rebuild a sense of home, identity, and stability. This is not a feel-good drama that inspires; instead, it takes a stark and intense look at the challenges of life.
What will you first notice when you begin your journey into A Thousand and One? This is a purely engrossing and visually impactful experience. It takes place quite a few years ago at this point, and you would be surprised to find out that it was actually released in 2023. The film looks like it was shot in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Cinematographer Eric Yue and Rockwell make sure that this film not only inhabits this specific time in New York City, but that it also feels and looks like it too. That is not always an easy task, but this crew nails it.
Speaking of, how does Rockwell capture this setting of New York City? Vividly. That is the simplest way to look at it, but Rockwell is able to capture the personality and soul of this great city. Sure, the film is about a mother and son, but at its core, it is also about the ever-evolving cityscape and how human beings must grow and evolve with it. The intimate drama of a mother-son bond is only a piece that plays perfectly with how a changing landscape can cause so much adversity in our day-to-day lives. This might be clichéd to say at this point, as many films have tried to do the same with New York, but Rockwell succeeds in creating a whole separate character in the form of this city.
But what (or who) truly stands out as the shining star of this cinematic journey? Taylor. There are three separate actors who portray Terry throughout this film (Aaron Kingsley Adelota, Aven Courtney, and Josiah Cross), and they each do some impressive work. But it is Taylor, who is saddled with carrying this drama, certainly rises to the occasion. There is something raw and genuine about her performance. You watch this film and quickly forget you are watching the actors. Taylor is so real and moving in her performance as Inez. We feel her love, fear, frustration, and anger boiling up throughout the film. No matter the state of her current relationship with Terry, she feels fully realized.
Does Rockwell deliver a standout drama at a time when audiences are looking over them? That is a big confirmation, and this film is going to be a statement for Rockwell moving forward. A Thousand and One will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotion and deliver a narrative that will keep you on your toes. Hopefully the buzz that this film creates will bring some back to the theater, because it is a memorable, challenging, and moving experience in that theater, and many others should watch it.
Score: 10/10
A Thousand and One will be in theaters on March 31
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