Over the course of one day, a shy 13-year-old forms a bond with his troubled uncle.
Acting
Common's volatile charisma against Rainey Jr.'s heartbreaking restraint.
Direction
Candis squeezes a lifetime into one suffocating Baltimore day.
Writing
The 'LUV' acronym hits like a brick by the end.
Director
Sheldon Candis
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Sheldon Candis based this on his own Baltimore childhood and his uncle's criminal past, explaining the documentary-like authenticity of the neighborhood details.
Released the same year as 'Fruitvale Station,' it was part of a 2013 wave examining Black male vulnerability—though this one got buried and deserves reappraisal.
US
