This Is the Story of a Lifetime

Starring: Trevante Rhodes, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, André Holland, Ashton Sanders, Alex R. Hibbert, Jharrel Jerome

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you gonna be. Can't let nobody make that decision for you." – Juan

Why watch this? I'm white and privileged. Just a little understanding can help.

Plot Summary: This deeply powerful story chronicles three stages in a boy's life on the bitter hard streets around Miami during the crack epidemic. We see him in childhood, enduring constant bullying, as he is called "faggot". He's lucky that Juan, a drug dealer, takes him in and serves as a mentor. As a teen, when he finally fights back, he's sent to prison, and there becomes a tough young adult.

Dad's Preview:  A theme throughout is the boy's sexuality. He is gay, but he can never display that on the streets. So he hides it, unable to be his honest self. It will make some folks squirm, but I feel this is another step in helping us understand that we all have different human experiences. In the end, if you strip away our environment and experiences, we are all still humans, and thus all part of the collective humanity.

Plan B Entertainment, Pastel Prod.; A24