One of the standout films of this year’s Independent Film Festival Boston was its opening night selection, Julius Onah’s comeback feature Luce, which had previously received raves at Sundance. Now a lot of early festival hype can often be bullshit — critics are seeing 5-6 movies a day, and quick deadlines can often mean that the hot takes are served up like plates of hotcakes at an IHOP — but we were pleasantly surprised with just how great this little thriller was. Neon picked up the film soon after its debut in Park City, and they’ve finally slated it for release later on in the summer, dropping the date alongside a brand new trailer for the film on Tuesday morning.
Ch-ch-ch-check it out:
Well, doesn’t that look way better than The Cloverfield Paradox? Unsurprisingly, it is! We’re honestly a big puzzled as to why Neon isn’t releasing this a bit closer to Oscar season — seriously, buy into the Kelvin Harrison Jr. hype as soon as you can, because he deserves acclaim for his work here — but we guess that’s what happens when you pick up two of the big boys from the Cannes Film Festival, especially when one is the movie that took home the Palme. Anyways, don’t miss this one when it comes out: it’s a great little movie.
Here’s a synopsis:
“An all-star high school athlete and accomplished debater, Luce (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) is a poster boy for the new American Dream. As are his parents (Naomi Watts and Tim Roth), who adopted him from a war-torn country a decade earlier. When Luce’s teacher (Octavia Spencer) makes a shocking discovery in his locker, Luce’s stellar reputation is called into question. But is he really at fault, or is Ms. Wilson preying on dangerous stereotypes?”
Luce hits theaters on August 2.