★★★★★
A married couple is forced to reckon with their idealized image of their son, adopted from war-torn Eritrea, after an alarming discovery by a devoted high school teacher threatens his status as an all-star student.
Classification: 15
It's a testament to any mystery that when the answers are revealed the audience is still unsure of what to trust, this unshakeable sense of obscurity to what the truth actually is and what we have learned about ourselves in our assumptions. Who do we believe? Why do we believe them? What is it that we value most? Luce does not make it easy to take sides, not due to overcomplication in its narrative but because Julius Onah delivers a masterpiece of performance, tension, and perspective that has the audience constantly questioning what is before them. Expertly constructing themes of race, equality, and privilege into its narrative about a high school student named Luce whose image as a flourishing model student is questioned by a concerned teacher. Luce Edgar is black, a war orphan from Eritrea who was adopted by his two white upper-middle-class parents Amy and Peter Edgar. Now a high school senior Luce is destined to go on to great things to the joy of his parents, principal and Octavia Spencer's Harriet Wilson, Luce's history teacher who knocks down the first domino of the film.
There's an unsettling feeling of a white saviour complex to Luce, intentional on Onah's part, this idea of why Luce was adopted and why he is beloved by everyone. Luce is considered an example to the students, the best you can be and seems to be genuinely loved by his friends and teachers but he is still held to different standards. Other African American students are told to look up to Luce and not end up like DeShaun Meeks, an athletic student whose prospects were destroyed after Harriet discovered him smoking marijuana. This unspoken idea that because Luce has white parents he is more likely to be accepted and find success in modern America. The idea of what Luce is, is integral, it must be incorruptible, so much "work" has been put into him that it can't all be for nothing. Naomi Watts and Tim Roth portray Amy and Peter as honest loving parents, they have pride in their son but there still seems to be tension between them over choosing to support a cause than have their own biological child, an easier option.
There is so much hidden depth to the script of Luce, writers JC Lee and Julius Onah layer it not only with its detailed driven story development but by having each development speak to a larger thematic relevance in modern American society. Nothing is by accident, everything has been immaculately designed to have the audience's perspectives and sympathies constantly shift as the mystery into Luce's innocence escalates. But what has Luce been accused of? why are his image and the image that has been designed around him in jeopardy? Harriet Wilson is the one who starts it all. Concerned by a paper Luce has written highlighting an endorsement of violence, Wilson has a private conference with Amy where she voices her concern not because she suspects Luce of having similar beliefs but because of how the paper could be interpreted by others. With Harriet also discovering fireworks in Luce's locker, there is an uneasy thought that the paper, fireworks and Luce's past as a child soldier could all be signs of dangerous behaviour. Addressing the current reality of the gun crime epidemic in American schools but also sowing the first seeds of doubt for the audience and the characters over Luce's integrity.
The amazing thing about the intensification within the plot is that it is built from minor misunderstandings and coincidences. There appears to be no malice on Harriet or Luce's part in the beginning but as information is passed second hand from person to person, the notion of what the truth is becomes diluted and biased. All centring around the question around what does it mean to black in America? a question that asked through every character regardless of race or gender as Onah ingeniously builds the tension of the film. Soon actions become more deliberate but there still is an air of uncertainty to what exactly is happening, you begin to doubt the coincidences and soon realise that the interpretations of the events are attributed to people's worse instincts. Luce isn't racist, sexist or bigoted in execution but takes place in our society where almost every issue is woven by these archaic yet inescapable constructs, Onah makes the film a mirror to how we view each other.
Quick to judge, informed by stereotype, place everyone you don't know in a designated box based on race or gender. Subconscious thoughts of judgement, Luce does not offer the true context of what is happening everything can be seen in multiple ways even after the third act revelations. Luce is a deep examination of stereotypes in America, how many are not seen as individuals but as part of a collective, a designation out of their control. The character of Luce seemingly defies those classifications apparently for the better in the eyes of his parents and teachers. The motivation to discover what is actually happening fuels distrust between Luce and his parents, Harriet and her co-workers, as the driving concern isn't Luce's wellbeing but the image of Luce.
Speaking of the man in question, Julius Onah's incredible direction wouldn't be half as effective if not for his leading man Kelvin Harrison Jr. who delivers one of the most chilling performances of the year. It is impossible to tell what Luce Edgar is thinking at any given time, he's smiling, always helpful, the perfect son but when the doubt is sown everything becomes recontextualized, you begin wondering who Luce really is. Luce isn't a villain, no one is but Harrison Jr's performance never offers an iota of what the truth may be in the character, a seemingly impenetrable mask. The character is both empathetic and terrifying, you never know where you stand with him you begin to wonder if this all a facade or a product of irrational thinking. Harrison Jr.'s performance and ambiguity are bolstered by the supporting cast whose credibility and trustworthiness is in as much flux as Luce. Watts and Roth capture the conflict of love and fear perfectly, this idea that they failed eating away at the back of their mind as like the audience they are unsure of what to take as truth.
Spencer's performance of Harriet Wilson is fascinating, the opponent to Luce who has complexities of her own. A history teacher who understands the suffering of African Americans in her country and sees Luce as an opportunity to inspire others. She's not racist, this isn't a story about a teacher disliking a student based on skin colour but her motivations are driven by race. Its driven by the ideas of social justice tying into the subplots with the characters of Stephanie Kim and Harriet's sister Rosemary. Luce is just a sobering look at how presumption and idealism can be so damaging as Harriet is blinded by her ideas of what progress means in America. Her storyline examines the effects of stereotypes as her assumptions of Luce grow from her own pride and paranoia over his actions, it's a strange mix of justifiable and irrational. Opah doesn't make the conflict between Harriet and Luce a traditional protagonist and antagonist as those roles flow between the two with almost every new development in the film.
With all the ambiguity to what is the truth of Luce, Julius Onah hits the landing which such finesse that it sends shockwaves through the audience. It's an explosive finale that throws everything you thought you knew up in the air like a bird flying straight into a woodchipper, you're left shocked, disturbed by everything you've just witnessed. Unable to not wonder and debate every action all over again in these new contexts as Luce refuses to give its complex story a simple conclusion. Onah creates an incredibly realistic atmosphere for his drama to thrive accompanied by Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury's score which sets the emotional stage so well.
An incredible thought-provoking film that doesn't pull its punches and forces the audience to reckon with difficult realities and topics, Julius Onah creates an important unmissable piece of art for contemporary America. Kelvin Harrison Jr. is a revelation and the entire cast delivers some of their best performances in years having the difficult themes subconsciously inform their every action in trying to discover the truth. Luce burrows deep into the soul of its audience with unflinching confidence in how it approaches race, stereotypes, and the very concept of judgement with the evocative story that remains grounded through the humanity and realism of its characters.
Director: #JuliusOnah
Release Date: November 8th 2019
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Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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