…………………………………………………

A Thousand and One Movie Review

A Thousand and One is a 2023 independent drama film directed by A.V. Rockwell and starring Teyana Taylor. It’s a very moving and well acted, but quite flawed indie drama.

After unapologetic and fiercely loyal Inez kidnaps her son Terry from the foster care system, mother and son set out to reclaim their sense of home, identity and stability in a rapidly changing New York City. This movie offers a harsh, but necessary look at single motherhood that unfortunately plagues the black community. It’s one of those indies that are so human and realistic in their approach, but it still came with its fair share of issues.

………………………………………………….

The main problem is the twist in the third act. It was somewhat unbelievable, messy and simply unnecessary, but it still led to that emotionally powerful, touching final sequence where the acting was especially sublime. A tighter script would have made wonders for this film that really needed stronger editing, pacing and directing. Rockwell did a solid job for her first feature, but a more confident filmmaker would have done a much better job.

A Thousand and One has one fantastic main performance at its helm. Teyana Taylor delivered some of the best and most underappreciated acting of the year for sure. Her character is familiar, but she elevated the role with such a powerhouse performance. Josiah Cross also deserves praise for a very good, moving turn later in the second half of the film as the older Terry.

A Thousand and One did not quite manage to time jump seamlessly and the film really needed a better structure throughout. There are long stretches where nothing of much significance happens and the film would have been much better had it been shorter and more streamlined in its narrative. It also did not have much to say about this subject matter, feeling familiar in its overall plot, but it was so moving toward the end and so well performed that I ended up appreciating it nonetheless.

………………………………………………….