Tight - Luce
Nearly perfect. Valedictorian, star athlete, captain of the debate team. These are the qualities that make Luce nearly perfect. And yet, the movie does everything possible to introduce ‘gray’ into his narrative. It draws battle lines early and then swirls its foundation so thoroughly that everyone opposes everyone at various points. But beyond the basic plotting, the movie has a concrete worldview and a deceptively simple way of arriving at its coda. The plain message is maybe we never know anyone. The deeper message is maybe you never even know yourself.
Luce (played by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) is his high school’s prize student. He is ensconced in protections that have him on life’s fast track. He enjoys the kind of privilege generally only offered to rich, white kids. Incidentally, he is being raised by a well-to-do white couple that is equally enamored with him. The one person who is skeptical that he deserves his exalted status is his teacher, Harriet (played by Octavia Spencer). And when Luce writes a paper endorsing state violence, Harriet begins to think he has deep-seated issues.
What follows is an exploration of race, class and mental health that is much more sophisticated than the usual popcorn drama. Characters uncover question after question that muddles the picture as soon as they think it is clearer.
The strongest facet of Luce is that from the beginning, it knows what your expectations are and seeks to subvert them. It realizes your political predispositions and challenges them in ways that feel smart. The film is just as interested in making its audience question preconceived notions as it is its characters and that sets it apart from more conventionally pulp dramas. It is never clear what the truth is, so the movie’s provocations become a Rorschach test for all involved.
The performances are uniformly excellent, but the class of the film is Kelvin Harrison’s Luce. This feels like such a complex role and he handles it with such ease that it is hard not to imagine that this is just the beginning for the young actor. Octavia Spencer, Noami Watts and Tim Roth are all established acting talents and he stands toe to toe with them throughout. His performance beautifully straddles the line and leaves everyone unsure who his character really is. Without that, the film simply wouldn’t work, so it is a testament to him that it goes over as intended.
Luce is one of the few movies that truly feels like it will be universally enjoyed. Its rich text is accompanied by a thirty story tower of subtext that is sure to entertain audiences of all stripes. It balances the archetypal characters with achingly complex ones and makes this feel like a genuinely dynamic story. There are versions of this movie where we spend more time with different characters and it completely changes the narrative. That ability to weave a a genuinely complex web with one storyline and a half dozen characters? Nearly perfect.
______________
If you like our content, please SHARE using the buttons below and SIGN UP for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on the latest!
