A Thousand and One

Singer, songwriter, actress, model, dancer, choreographer, and music video director Teyana Taylor gives a dynamic lead performance as a hairdresser and former thief who, after her release from Rikers Island, kidnaps her son Terry from the foster care system. Holding onto this secret and others, mother and son make a life and a home for themselves. Writer/director A.V. Rockwell's contemporary urban melodrama spans the decades and the rapidly changing New York City; the film's style subtly mimics the look and vibe of movies of the various eras. Aaron Kingsley Adetola, Aven Courtney, and Josiah Cross share the role of Terry as he ages from six to seventeen, each actor playing the character's inner life with power and poignancy. The expert casting of these three young actors, who each internalize the wisdom and insecurity of the introverted Terry, helps drive home the film's themes of identity and stability.