"Akilla's Escape" is not your average crime story

Akilla's Escape

Starring Saul Williams, Thamela Mpumlwana, Donisha Prendergast, Oluniké Adeliyi, Bruce Ramsay, Shomari Downer, Ronnie Rowe Jr., Brandon Oakes, Colm Feore, Vic Mensa, Theresa Tova and Cas Cray. Written by Charles Officer and Motion. Directed by Charles Officer. Streaming on digital TIFF Bell Lightbox. 90 minutes.

⭐⭐⭐

Peter Howell

Movie Critic

This drug-trade drama from Toronto’s Charles Officer cites works by Homer, Sun Tzu and James Baldwin, featuring a young thug who proclaims “I read.”

It’s not your average crime story, in other words, although the arc of a youth seeking distance from destructive influences is all too familiar, in real life as in art.

Terrific performances by poet/actor Saul Williams (“Slam”) as a dealer in need of redemption and Thamela Mpumlwana (who takes on two different roles) make this saga special. 🌓

(This review originally ran in the Toronto Star.)

Twitter: @peterhowellfilm