‘The Boy Behind the Door’ Is a Terrifying and Realistic Journey

From the moment The Boy Behind the Door begins, with a bird’s eye view of a lone car gliding its way down a forested road somewhere in South Dakota, a sense of dread settles over the film. That sharp feeling only intensifies when the trunk of the car is opened, revealing two terrified young boys, Bobby (This Is Us‘ Lonnie Chavis) and Kevin (Ezra Dewey). Sweaty, breathless, and bound and gagged together, their kidnapper appears suddenly, ripping Kevin from the vehicle, leaving Bobby behind. 

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‘Really Love’ Is a Smoldering Dream

There has been a resurgence of films with majority Black casts across all genres coming from mainstream studios, and independent films. Romance films starring Black people have returned to the screen after a near-total erasure since the ’90s. Recent films like The Photograph, Moonlight, and If Beale Street Could Talk have reminded audiences about Black tenderness and intimacy, even when these moments are brief and fleeting in the narrative. However, with Angel Kristi Williams’ Really Love, a film centered squarely on a romance, we are reminded of the gentleness of Black love and that Black women, in particular, deserve big grand gestures and declarations. 

Set in gentrifying Washington D.C., Really Love follows Isaiah (Kofi Siriboe), a struggling painter vying for representation and a solo art show. Watching his peers and his mentor (Michael Ealy) continue to soar is beginning to weigh on Isaiah’s self-esteem. His astounding talent is clear — even if his own family doesn’t entirely support his career choices.

Stevie (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing) is also at a crossroads in her life. Stepping into her final year at Georgetown Law School, she’s torn between the activism work that tugs at her heart and the bigwig law firms that are vying for her attention. If it were up to her mother, she’d be commanding a corner office in some big city sky-rise, but Stevie isn’t so sure. 

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A Woman Discovers Exactly What She’s Capable of in the Sharp Crime Drama ‘I’m Your Woman’

In crime dramas, the focus is usually on the criminal. The narrative follows their motives and mishaps. Very little attention is paid to the people who absorb the most significant repercussions of this nefarious behavior. Namely, the women often left in the wake of bad men are given very little screen time. We saw this displayed in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather saga when Michael Corleone’s wife Kay wanted to escape her volatile marriage. Then it was depicted more recently in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman as Frank Sheeran’s daughter slowly learns his true nature. However, in Julia Hart’s I’m Your Woman, the filmmaker puts women back front and center, reminding them of their power. 

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