Luce (2019)

On the surface, Luce Edgar seems like the perfect son. He’s a star athlete. He’s valedictorian of his entire school. And that’s not even considering his past. He’s a former child soldier from Eritrea who, against all odds, seems to have put his trauma behind him, and formed a healthy, stable social life. “Seems” being the keyword here. See, one day, a teacher asks him to write an essay in the voice of a historical figure, and Luce delivers a piece emulating the style of Frantz Fanon, a pan-Africanist who argued that violence was necessary to settle political disputes. Disturbed, this same teacher breaks into Luce’s locker and discovers fireworks there. She alerts Luce’s parents to both of these things, and while neither of them wants to believe that their son could be capable of violence, as they do more digging, they realize that there might be more to their baby than once thought.

Days Of Being Wild (1990)

Contrary to what it’s title might lead you to believe, Wong Kar-Wai’s Days Of Being Wild is NOT a raunchy comedy about rebellious youngsters living free and easy. Rather, this moody, atmospheric, and virtually plotless Hong Kong drama film focuses on emotionally abusive relationships, and how the time we spend together still impacts us long after that time has passed. I love it, and most mainstream critics these days agree that it’s a very well-made movie but, sad to say, this wasn’t always the case. When it was first released back in 1990, critics and audiences despised it. So much so that the director actually had to wait a whole decade before making another movie. Fortunately for him, that next film, In The Mood For Love, was both a critical and commercial success, even getting nominated for the Palme D’Or at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.