Brotherly Love
Brotherly
Love
In Theaters: Apr 24, 2015 Limited
Rated: R for violence, profanity and ethnic slurs
Genre: Drama
Written & Directed By: Jamal Hill
Runtime: 1 hr. 30 min.
Distributor:
Liquid Soul Media / Freestyle Releasing
Very Good (★★★☆)
Twins Jackie (Keke Palmer) and Sergio Taylor (Eric D. Hill, Jr.) already
had it tough enough growing up in the ghetto before the untimely demise of
their dad a few years ago. But then their mother (Macy Gray) stopped
functioning and started hitting the bottle.
That’s when their big
brother, June (Cory Hardrict), became the family breadwinner, and it’s been
a struggle for him to keep a roof over their heads ever since. So, he
started dealing drugs hoping that his becoming an outlaw would at least
enable his siblings to keep their noses clean and continue pursuing their
dreams. After all, Sergio is one of the top high school basketball players
in the nation, while Jackie is an aspiring singer in need of a big break.
By comparison, the living is easy for kids like Chris Collins
(Quincy Brown) from “The Hilltop,” the upscale enclave located just across
the proverbial tracks. He’s a classmate of Jackie’s at Overbrook High, where
students from his ‘hood don’t mix with those from “The Bottom,” especially
in the wake of the gang warfare that recently claimed the life of one of his
cousins.
Chris has a crush on Jackie, and she likes him, too. Under normal
circumstances theirs would be a match made in heaven, since his father is a
famous record producer capable of launching a promising talent’s musical
career.
However, complications arise reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet
when the competing clans suggest that the pair separate. Will the
star-crossed lovers follow their hearts or capitulate to the pressure from
friends and relatives?
Written and directed by Jamal Hill (Autumn),
Brotherly Love is a gritty, inner-city saga of Shakespearean proportions
shot on location in West Philadelphia. Provided you have a strong stomach
for Ebonics laced with lots of cursing and the N-word, you’ll likely find
this super-realistic adventure quite compelling.
As far as
performances are concerned, Keke Palmer is terrific in the lead role as
Jackie. She also belts out a couple of tunes on the soundtrack, including a
mesmerizing, closing credits rendition of the Harold Melvin R&B classic,
“Wake Up Everybody.” And the rest of the cast, especially Cory Hardrict,
Romeo Miller, Macy Gray, Eric D. Hill, Jr., Quincy Brown and Faizon Love,
does a great job creating the requisite edgy atmosphere that imbues the
production with a very authentic feel for the duration.
Romeo,
Romeo, wherefore art though Romeo? I be hanging with my homeys, mama!