Sundance London: Morris From America review: A sweet, well natured and truly uplifting tale from filmmaker Chad Hartigan, with stand-out performances from Craig Robinson and Markees Christmas.
Morris From America review by Paul Heath, June 2016.
Morris From America review
Morris From America is a coming of age tale set in the present day Heidelberg in south-west Germany. Curtis Gentry (Craig Robinson) has relocated from New York City to the small German city to coach for the local football (soccer) team in a country in which he was a former player. Living with him is his thirteen-year-old-son Morris (Markees Christmas), a juvenile who is struggling to learn the language and make friends in his new foreign surroundings. Morris spends his days listening to American hip-hop music, seeing movies with his dad and learning the language with his German teach Inka (Carla Juri), but he’s really struggling with adjusting to German life.
Things take a turn for the better when Morris befriends Katrin (Lina Keller), a girl from his school who is seen hanging out with all of the other cool, much older kids. Katrin develops an interest in Morris’ talent for rapping and urges him to enter a competition at their local youth centre, an event that really doesn’t end very well for the young teenager. The film charts the relationship between Morris and Katrin, and Morris and his father, the latter also struggling with the day to day following the unexplained death of his wife, and mother young American.
Morris From America review
Like most of the films we’ve experienced so far at Sundance London, Morris From America has very little in the way of story, and is more a character-driven piece that is dependent on the viewer’s engagement with said characters, and of course the actors playing them. It’s pleasing to find that both Robinson as the single father and Christmas as the lonely teenager are both exceptional in their respective roles, the former turning in a welcomed surprise as the humbled, liberal, though extremely focussed father trying to do the best for his young, independent son. As you may expect, Robinson also injects comedy into his performance, a tribute to him and the witty screenplay from Chad Hartigan, who also directs.
Both of the actors performances are near-flawless, Christmas delighting with his quiet young man on a journey towards adulthood mourning the loss of his mother, his displacement in the world and feelings that equate to young love towards his pretty classmate and object of his desires, Katrin. He also delivers vocal excellence in a stand-out nightclub scene freestyle-rapping to an adult audience.
Morris From America review
Morris From America is sweet in tone, easily identifiable through its central characters and utterly enjoyable throughout, even if it is light on story. With a killer soundtrack that’ll have you dancing out of the auditorium having been completely uplifted (a feeling which is really rather welcomed at these intense film festivals), Morris From America is one to elevate to the top of your list to see at this year’s Sundance London.
Morris From America review by Paul Heath, June 2016.
Morris From America will play at the Sundance London Film Festival in June 2016.
