Review of Southside with You (2016) by Robert W — 27 Aug 2016

As I walked into the theatre, I was not surprised to find the seats mostly empty. A Sunday noon showing of a film with political overtones does not promise the escapism that many desire when they go to a summer movie, but there were a few people in attendance, and more than few that have already seen this film nationwide. Three million dollars for an opening weekend box office might be considered dismal most films, but since the film's budget was only one and half million dollars. This film is already a commercial success.

So Richard Tanne, the film's writer and director, has created a profitable project, but it a good film. The short answer is yes. The primary reasons for that yes are threefold, a character driven plot, good to superb acting, and proper pacing.

The film begins "in medias res" or in the middle of the action. It doesn't spend the first act laboriously introducing you to the main characters, but instead drops you right into the main conflict of film. And this film's conflict is ambitious, "what is really important in your professional life?" To elaborate on that I have to challenge the widely held misconception about this film. The protagonist is not Barack Obama but instead, Michelle Robinson, a young lawyer that has overcame economic challenges achieve social prestige. And now she has achieved that prestige against tremendous odds, she has to determine if having what she strove for, is really what she wants. The entire plot is driven by that question and that first reason this is good film.

The acting is this movie is solid. Every thespian delivers a praiseworthy performance. These performances are helped by a some most authentic dialogue of the year. The whole film flows like a conversation and it is never overwrought. Moreover there is the performance of Tika Sumpter, portraying Michelle Robinson, and that is extraordinary with moments of sublime. She manages to convene so much with just her expression, I believe she has the potential to rank amongst the great actors of 21st century.

Lastly, the movie superbly executes the three act structure. So many movies fail in this basic convention, it is exhilarating to see it brought off so well. This focus on the fundamentals of filmmaking allows a simple story to be ample action for the film.

So for all you film buffs out there, Southside with you is definitely worth your time.