Luce

(Julius Onah, US 2019, 109 min., DCP)

Luce Edgar (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) is a star high school student and athlete, the proud son of his adoptive white parents, Peter and Amy (Tim Roth and Naomi Watts). When Amy is called into a parent-teacher conference with Luce’s history teacher, Harriet (Octavia Spencer), she finds that Luce has written a paper calling for violence to combat colonialism. Concerned but not alarmed, Amy begins to look into Luce’s behavior, uncovering facts she had not known. As tensions escalate, Harriet and Luce each take steps to undermine the other, leading to an explosive incident. A thorny film about race, manipulation, and societal roles, Harrison shines in his breakout performance.