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[doomonfilm]

Review : All Day and a Night (2020)

You’d think that a pandemic would have been enough to knock 2020 way down the list of memorable years, but leave it to America to continue with its national past-time, the racist and unjust treatment of minorities.  Many companies, as a response, made attempts to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, and Netflix did so by showcasing a number of films either made by Black directors or focusing on race-related issues.  Of the many films rolled out at that time, one caught my eye specifically : All Day and a Night.      

After shooting drug dealer Malcolm (Stephen Barrington) and his lady in cold blood (and in front of their daughter), aspiring rapper and street muscle Jahkor (Ashton Sanders) is facing a lifetime prison bid.  Despite many people questioning his motivations for the seemingly senseless act, Jahkor stays silent as he undergoes the trial process and prepares for prison.  Upon arrival to prison, he is reunited with his estranged father JD (Jeffery Wright), but due to their strained relationship and rocky history, not to mention Jahkor’s pressing concerns of retaliation, the reunion is timid at best.  With nothing but time in his foreseeable future, Jahkor takes a personal inventory of his life and all of the factors that led him to his current resigned fate.

All Day and a Night hones in on the ripple effect of pain in the black community, showing how the unhealthy transference of pain and frustration through violence and exploitation has become the sad, institutionalized norm rather than the exception to the rule.  As a result, many black communities serve as fodder for the pipeline to mass incarceration, as the opportunities many try to take advantage of to survive are often illegal.  With the temptations of evil on all sides, and often present for the entirety of some people’s life span, it is not an unfamiliar scenario to see short-sighted individuals living in a manner fueled by temporary gains.  Joe Robert Cole is clearly aware of all of this, and uses this reality as a way to shape his story about being trapped in a cycle… as eloquently stated in the film, he captures how “crazy (it is) to have nothing to give and want to give everything”.  It is interesting how he chooses to make Jahkor an inspiring rapper as well, specifically because he uses the vulnerability of hip-hop as a trigger for tension in the standoffish world of gangsters and drug dealers, rather than an actual manner of breaking out of the hood cycle.

In terms of themes, Cole locks in on the phenomena of generational trauma, directly displaying how the doomed lifestyle is often handed down by a mixture of nature and nurture that traces back to slavery.  The conditioning of the mind and soul that comes with nonstop exposure to violence and poverty is found in Jahkor, who starts as a young, weak and innocent boy who learns to harbor his rage and fear for the purpose of channeling it into hyper-focused violence against anyone who questions his character or threatens his livelihood and the people he loves.  Paradoxically, Jahkor also seems to have a strong set of standards, but is unable to exact them due to the savagery of the world he lives in.  The trauma of Black men fighting a war at home is displayed, and with the presence of LaMark, examined in a manner that shows how many Black men are unable to win no matter which side of the game they land on, which in turn has left an absence or inability to perform in the realms of family and community responsibilities.  The predatory nature of America from all sides is a present element in the story as well, with the film serving as a parable of how appeals to kindness and loyalty often fall on deaf ears in these areas.

The look of the film could be described as “high contrast darkness”, with rich colors attempting to emerge from the general visual muddiness that represents the world of the film.  The pacing is deliberate, still and stirring, making us wait for Jahkor to validate his actions and choices as the film rolls out his recollections of his life experiences.  The strong but subtle cinematic score punctuates the weight of the drama, and is used in place of hip-hop songs and beats used for score.  That being said, tons of Oakland culture shines through and through, including occasional songs popping up from legends connected to the city.  Most importantly, the film opts for attempting to give respect to people trapped in these bad situations, rather than glorifying the negative aspects of this struggling population while propping up trope-like heroes, antiheroes and villains.    

As previously mentioned, All Day and a Night is a film all about dramatic weight, and Ashton Sanders carries it like a seasoned professional, portraying the strain of every burden while managing to stay a vibrant on-screen presence… he likely won’t be getting any award nominations next season, but he certainly deserves them.  Jeffrey Wright and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II both get to play wonderfully against type, leaning wholly into all of the macho posturing and aggressive energy they can muster before crossing the line into satire, and maintaining beautiful harmony the entire time.  Isaiah John brings a similar intensity, but keeps the innocence of lost youth tethered to it, which results in a brooding energy with all of the potential to blow up dramatically.  Christopher Meyer brings a nobility to the table meant to offset the posturing present in the rest of the cast.  Kelly Jenrette manifests the struggles of trying to raise a family in a world of madness, channeling her pain into a sort of shielding judgement to fend off hurt, while Regina Taylor attempts to bring wisdom into a mix of reckless energy.  Supporting appearances by James Earl, Rolanda D. Bell, Andrea Lynn Elsworth, Stephen Barrington, Shakira Ja’nai Paye and Gretchen Klein round things out.

All Day and a Night wisely stays away from glorification of the hood and the lifestyle that Jahkor lives, opting instead to stand as more of a “truth of the matter” presentation of events.  While the story that is told is not a unique one, or one that is new to the world of film, it is one worth telling nonetheless, and luckily, Joe Robert Cole tells it extremely well.