2017 | USA | NR | 94 min.
As America recognizes the 25th anniversary of the LA riots, revisit that moment in history from a perspective you’ve never seen before. In writer/director/star Justin Chon’s sophomore feature, the friendship between two Korean-American brothers and an 11-year-old African-American girl is tested when they’re trapped in the brothers’ struggling South Central shoe store while the riots erupt around them. As the barbed title implies, Chon isn’t afraid to tackle prejudice head-on, but he does so with remarkably endearing good humor—this is a film that makes its social justice underpinnings known, but also makes time for a little karaoke to Hall & Oates. Winner of the NEXT Audience Award at Sundance, Chon’s starkly beautiful black-and-white imagery draws from his childhood memories, and the result is a stunning portrait that mixes the in-your-face sensibilities of early Spike Lee with the slacker charm of Kevin Smith. It marks the arrival of a bold new voice in American cinema, and it’s truly something to see.
PRE-SHOW MUSIC BY
Angela Josephine (Sat)
Michelle Held (Sun)
SPONSORED BY
Pete & Sandy Hinz (Sat)
The Wilson Family and Rainbow Rehabilitation Center (Sun)