[Review] American Skin(2021) {7/10}

Written and Directed by Nate Parker, the film stars Parker (Lincoln Jefferson), Omari Hardwick (Omar Scott), Theo Rossi (Officer Dominic Reyes), Shane Paul McGhie (Jordin King), Milauna Jackson (Tayna Jefferson) and Beau Knapp (Officer Mike Randall).

The plot follows Lincoln "Linc" Jefferson (Nate Parker) and his son Kijani, who are pulled over by the police when Linc is suspected of speeding. Linc's son tries to film the encounter on his cell phone and is shot and killed by a White police officer named Mike Randall (Beau Knapp). When Randall faces no legal repercussions, Linc and his ex-military friends storm the police station, holding everyone hostage and staging a mock trial in pursuit of justice. The event is captured by a young documentary filmmaker who's unaware that this all-too-common incident of "White cop kills Black boy" would result in a raid.

The arc of American Skin hinges on Randall's ability to empathize with the trauma of being held at gunpoint -- reducing systemic racial justice to an exercise in social-emotional learning. Nate Parker puts the police on trial in his provocative, unfocused and bold comeback film. While imperfect, especially as storylines are piled one after another to create a plan of attacking the issue of police violence, there’s undeniable craft in Parker’s ability to grip an audience by making them feel his anger. Parker plays this opening scene perfectly, capturing the sheer terror of what should be something routine and straight-forward. It’s the kind of fear that not everybody gets to know, but those who have experienced it know it in their gut and Parker definitely knows it. The ensemble cast delivered a powerful performance. Nate Parker takes ongoing conflict between the boys in blue and the Black community blowing it apart cinematically with a compelling narrative that is long winded, but necessary. While American Skin isn't a complete homerun, it sure is bold, and entertaining. It gathers up all the frustrations many Black Americans face into a 90 minute narrative that will definitely get some necessary dialogue going.

American Skin is now available on Digital and VOD.