A Thousand and One (15)
Directed by A.V. Rockwell 
★★★

A YOUNG black woman kidnaps her six-year-old son from the New York foster care system as she struggles against the inequalities of life to provide him with a stable home and a future in this heartbreaking family drama and debut feature by A V Rockwell. 

The film opens in 1994 with Inez de la Paz (Teyana Taylor) in prison. A year later she is released and goes in search of her child Terry (a phenomenal Aaron Kingsley Adetola). She is forced to put her hairdressing dreams to one side to find more reliable work in order to secure accommodation for her and her boy in Harlem. She hooks up with her on and off again partner Lucky (William Catlett) who she later marries, providing Terry with a much-needed family. 

The film unfolds over two decades and is set against a changing New York City, with the arrival of Rudy Giuliani as mayor in 1994 promising to crack down on crime. Instead of helping marginalised communities and the likes of Inez and Terry, the film shows how they were neglected or targeted. 

By 2001, with the increased enforcement of the stop-and-search policy, a 13-year-old Terry (Aven Courtney) falls victim to it in disturbing scenes. When the story moves to 2005 it portrays the supercharged gentrification of New York under mayor Michael Bloomberg which threatened black neighbourhoods like Harlem as Inez battles against it. 

This is a powerful and complex drama and an impressive directorial debut from Rockwell who also wrote the screenplay. It shines a light on the failings of the foster care system at that time. 

It is anchored by a powerhouse performance from R&B artist and choreographer-turned-actor Taylor and stunning turns by the three actors playing her son including Josiah Cross as Terry at 17. The mother and son dynamic is the beating heart of the film as she does whatever it takes to protect him and their life together. 

Although a touch on the long side, the jawdropping ending makes up for it, opening a pandora’s box that leaves you with so many questions. A more fascinating film.

Out in cinemas on Friday

Sick of Myself (15)
Directed by Kristoffer Borgli 
★★★

THIS bonkers anti-rom com takes a stomach-churning look at vanity in the age of social media. A vicious black satire written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli. 

The film follows a seemingly happy but self-absorbed couple Signe (Kristine Kujath Thorp) and Thomas (Erik Saether) who are extremely competitive with each other in what transpires is a very toxic relationship. But when he suddenly finds fame as a contemporary artist this sends Signe off the deep end as he goes to insane lengths to keep the focus on her. 

The two are obnoxious and, frankly, made for each other. He is a thief, stealing furniture from stores which he turns into art, and she is a liar, a flaw that takes a sick turn when their power dynamic changes. She starts making herself ill to draw attention to herself which plunges this dark comedy into new depths of horror.

Thorp’s mesmerising performance veers between the hilarious and the horrifying as the narcissistic Signe keeps you glued to the screen in an intriguing but demented study of vanity. 

By the end you will be sick of both of them.
 

Out in cinemas

The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan (15)
Directed by Martin Bourboulon 
★★★

SET against the backdrop of the politics of the day, this latest adaptation of Alexander Dumas’s The Three Musketeers, made in French for the first time in what is more than 60 years, is a riveting hotbed of political machinations, swashbuckling intrigue, revenge and betrayal. 

The bad news is this is the first of a two parter, but the good news is that they were shot back to back (much like the 1973 film starring Oliver Reed) so you won’t have to wait too long for the second half which is to be released in December on the continent. Both are directed by Martin Bourboulo. 

While you ponder why we need another remake, this is a wonderfully engaging and gritty interpretation which examines the battle waging between monarchists and republican rebels. Though it does not stick faithfully to Dumas’s text it does capture its spirit. 

Francois Civil makes a charming and charismatic D’Artagnan while Vincent Cassel, Romain Duris and Pio Marmai are sublime as Athos, Aramis and Porthos (who is bisexual in this version) respectively. But it is the magnificent Eva Green as the deliciously evil Milady de Winter who steals the film. She even makes smoking a pipe look tres chic.

Roll on part two, Milady.

Out in cinemas

Missing (15) 
Directed by Nicholas D Johnson and Will Merrick 
★★★

AN 18-year-old girl searches for her missing mother in Colombia using only the online tools at her fingertips in a surprisingly gripping thriller which turns out to be almost a two-hour-long advert for Apple Iphone, FaceTime, Siri and The Ring doorbell. 

If the premise sounds reminiscent of 2018’s Searching that is because writer-directors Nicholas D Johnson and Will Merrick edited that film. 

Nevertheless, Missing is a captivating and tense directorial debut feature which unfolds solely over phone calls, surveillance cam footage and viral videos. That is, once you have suspended your disbelief at how easily June (a phenomenal Storm Reid) can access her mum (Nia Long) and her boyfriend Kevin’s (Ken Leung) social media and emails. 

The pair disappear while on holiday in South America, and June enlists the local help of Javi (Joaquim de Almeida) to find them. 

However, the constant mention of Apple services keep spoiling the suspense and ruined my enjoyment.
 

Out in cinemas