Cross Over ★★★☆☆

Review of 'Cross Over' which can be found here at Future Shorts.

Length: 04:26

Written by Al Dabat and directed by Max Witting

Genre: Drama

Date: 2012

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Logline: Two young black guys hang out on the estate.

This is a well shot effort that looks great on screen. The camera quality is crisp and the contrasting black and white filming has been thoughtfully planned. It's always worth considering what's prompted a filmmaker to shoot in black and white as it's harder to do and is often a bit of an excuse to look wanky and pretentious. Maybe there's a bit of that here or perhaps it's possibly a metaphor juxtaposing against the statement that not everything is just black and white. Whatever the reason, it actually works here and makes the film look way better than it would had it been left in colour.

The film plays on preconceptions and misconceptions. If you're looking to watch something that reaffirms many black stereotypes, this probably fits the bill. Image conscious hoodies who deal drugs, hang about on street corners, are rap exerts, beat up people and steal from poor defenceless women. You can't get more stereotypical than that. But this is all just setup. And setup for a pretty meagre payoff at that. The two guys turn out to be guy, thus flipping our presumptions but at the same time not really changing our opinion of these two kind of unlikeable characters.

This plot twist (although it's technically more of a revelation) is the weak conclusion to a plot that doesn't really do anything or go anywhere. The main character, Marion, played by Michael Salami, doesn't have an arc, doesn't really face any conflict, encounter any obstacles or go on a life changing journey. If the filmmakers disagree then they've made it way too subtle. Saying that, Salami and fellow actor Tosin Olomowewe give good performances. Dialogue is kept realistic and delivered in a natural way and the pair share a good dynamic on screen.

Plus points go towards lighting, sound quality and shot composition but overall, the film is let down by the end scene. Possibly worth revisiting though and exploring that relationship a bit deeper wouldn't be a bad idea.

Best Bit: Black and white filming.

Worst Bit: No real plot.

Final thought: Yeah, plucking your eyebrows isn't that painful. Woos.

Read a condensed review of this film on Twitter here.