Night Catches Us
Encyclopedia
Night Catches Us is a 2010 drama film
directed and written by Tanya Hamilton
and stars Kerry Washington
, Anthony Mackie
, Jamie Hector
, Wendell Pierce
and Novella Nelson
.
Marcus (Anthony Mackie
), returns to his Philadelphia neighborhood to attend his father's funeral. Marcus has been away for several years, part of the time spent in prison on gun running charges and part spent wandering the country. Marcus has a reputation for having snitched on a fellow Panther which led to his death when the police tried to arrest him. Marcus' former friend DoRight (Jamie Hector
), now a local gangster, and Marcus' brother Bostic (Tariq Trotter) , a Black Muslim, are especially displeased by his return. However, Patricia (Kerry Washington
), the widow of the slain Panther, is more welcoming. She is now a lawyer and lives with her daughter Iris in the same house where her husband was killed. Her younger cousin Jimmy (Amari Cheatom) struggles to make a living with odd jobs, and begins to become more enamored of the Panthers after being harassed by the police. Even though no one else can understand it, Patricia grows closer to Marcus and when he is kicked out of his brother's home she invites him to stay with her, citing that he will be a positive male influence for her daughter. When Iris grows curious about what happened to her father, Patricia tearfully explains how he had murdered a police officer in retaliation for the murder of two Panthers. She explains that the police arrested her and Marcus tells Iris that he told them where her father was in order to save Patricia from going to jail and keep Iris out of the foster care
system. Later, when Marcus takes Iris to do some shopping, a car full of men sent by DoRight drive by and try to shoot him. Instead they hit a parked police car nearby. The police think that the shooting was meant for them, and a police officer David Gordon (Wendell Pierce
) orders Marcus to plant a gun in DoRight's bar so they can arrest him. Marcus is reluctant, but Gordon insists, revealing that it was actually Patricia who had informed on her husband's location and that Marcus had taken the heat for her. Marcus goes to DoRight's bar but refuses to plant the gun. Meanwhile, Jimmy, who has bought a gun and decked himself out in Panther style beret and jacket, approaches the cop who had harassed him earlier, and shoots him. Jimmy flees to his cousin's house, but when the police show up outside she forces him to leave as she stonewalls the police. Later, the police find Jimmy hiding in a wooded area and shoot him. After this, Marcus asks Patricia to leave Philly with him and put the past behind her. She refuses, and he leaves alone.
. Director Tanya Hamilton
said of the film; "There's a distinct lack of content specific to what it is to be a black American, the variations in that experience, what life is like for people who are ordinary. Those are the stories I want to tell."
Tanya Hamilton
has explained that the story, which took her 10 years to finish, was based on her creative ideas mixed with historical facts: “I liked weaving this world of fiction and pieces of fact, but I didn’t want to feel like I was getting it wrong, so I just did my thing. It’s really just about people, and that I thought I could understand.”
by The Roots
, a hip-hop band from Philadelphia, PA
.
, and has since received critical acclaim. Melissa Anderson of The Village Voice said "Tanya Hamilton's striking debut is the rare American-independent film to go beyond the private dramas of its protagonists, imagining them as players in broader historical moments..." The film holds a 81% on Rotten Tomatoes
, indicating positive reviews.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed and written by Tanya Hamilton
Tanya Hamilton
Tanya Hamilton is an American film director and producer. She came to the United States at the age of eight, and settled in Maryland with her mother...
and stars Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Ray Charles's wife, Della Bea Robinson, in the film Ray , as Idi Amin's wife Kay in The Last King of Scotland, and as Alicia Masters, love interest of Ben Grimm, The Thing, in the live-action Fantastic Four films of 2005 and 2007...
, Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie is an American actor. He has been featured in feature films, television series and Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Drowning Crow, McReele, A Soldier's Play, and Talk, by Carl Hancock Rux, for which he won an Obie Award in 2002.In 2002 he featured...
, Jamie Hector
Jamie Hector
Jamie Hector is an Haitian-American actor who is known for his portrayal of Marlo Stanfield on the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire.- Biography :...
, Wendell Pierce
Wendell Pierce
Wendell Pierce is an American actor, best known for his work in HBO dramas, including his portrayal of Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme.-Life and career:...
and Novella Nelson
Novella Nelson
Novella Nelson is an American actress and singer.Nelson was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Evelyn Hines and James Nelson. Her career in films did not begin until she was approaching middle age, with a small part in 1978's An Unmarried Woman. Over the next thirty years, she continued...
.
Plot
In 1976 former Black PantherBlack Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
Marcus (Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie is an American actor. He has been featured in feature films, television series and Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Drowning Crow, McReele, A Soldier's Play, and Talk, by Carl Hancock Rux, for which he won an Obie Award in 2002.In 2002 he featured...
), returns to his Philadelphia neighborhood to attend his father's funeral. Marcus has been away for several years, part of the time spent in prison on gun running charges and part spent wandering the country. Marcus has a reputation for having snitched on a fellow Panther which led to his death when the police tried to arrest him. Marcus' former friend DoRight (Jamie Hector
Jamie Hector
Jamie Hector is an Haitian-American actor who is known for his portrayal of Marlo Stanfield on the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire.- Biography :...
), now a local gangster, and Marcus' brother Bostic (Tariq Trotter) , a Black Muslim, are especially displeased by his return. However, Patricia (Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Ray Charles's wife, Della Bea Robinson, in the film Ray , as Idi Amin's wife Kay in The Last King of Scotland, and as Alicia Masters, love interest of Ben Grimm, The Thing, in the live-action Fantastic Four films of 2005 and 2007...
), the widow of the slain Panther, is more welcoming. She is now a lawyer and lives with her daughter Iris in the same house where her husband was killed. Her younger cousin Jimmy (Amari Cheatom) struggles to make a living with odd jobs, and begins to become more enamored of the Panthers after being harassed by the police. Even though no one else can understand it, Patricia grows closer to Marcus and when he is kicked out of his brother's home she invites him to stay with her, citing that he will be a positive male influence for her daughter. When Iris grows curious about what happened to her father, Patricia tearfully explains how he had murdered a police officer in retaliation for the murder of two Panthers. She explains that the police arrested her and Marcus tells Iris that he told them where her father was in order to save Patricia from going to jail and keep Iris out of the foster care
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
system. Later, when Marcus takes Iris to do some shopping, a car full of men sent by DoRight drive by and try to shoot him. Instead they hit a parked police car nearby. The police think that the shooting was meant for them, and a police officer David Gordon (Wendell Pierce
Wendell Pierce
Wendell Pierce is an American actor, best known for his work in HBO dramas, including his portrayal of Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme.-Life and career:...
) orders Marcus to plant a gun in DoRight's bar so they can arrest him. Marcus is reluctant, but Gordon insists, revealing that it was actually Patricia who had informed on her husband's location and that Marcus had taken the heat for her. Marcus goes to DoRight's bar but refuses to plant the gun. Meanwhile, Jimmy, who has bought a gun and decked himself out in Panther style beret and jacket, approaches the cop who had harassed him earlier, and shoots him. Jimmy flees to his cousin's house, but when the police show up outside she forces him to leave as she stonewalls the police. Later, the police find Jimmy hiding in a wooded area and shoot him. After this, Marcus asks Patricia to leave Philly with him and put the past behind her. She refuses, and he leaves alone.
Cast
- Kerry WashingtonKerry WashingtonKerry Washington is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Ray Charles's wife, Della Bea Robinson, in the film Ray , as Idi Amin's wife Kay in The Last King of Scotland, and as Alicia Masters, love interest of Ben Grimm, The Thing, in the live-action Fantastic Four films of 2005 and 2007...
as Patricia - Anthony MackieAnthony MackieAnthony Mackie is an American actor. He has been featured in feature films, television series and Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Drowning Crow, McReele, A Soldier's Play, and Talk, by Carl Hancock Rux, for which he won an Obie Award in 2002.In 2002 he featured...
as Marcus - Jamie HectorJamie HectorJamie Hector is an Haitian-American actor who is known for his portrayal of Marlo Stanfield on the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire.- Biography :...
as DoRight Miller - Wendell PierceWendell PierceWendell Pierce is an American actor, best known for his work in HBO dramas, including his portrayal of Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme.-Life and career:...
as David Gordon - Amari Cheatom as Jimmy Dixon
- Tariq Trotter as Bostic Washington
- Novella NelsonNovella NelsonNovella Nelson is an American actress and singer.Nelson was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Evelyn Hines and James Nelson. Her career in films did not begin until she was approaching middle age, with a small part in 1978's An Unmarried Woman. Over the next thirty years, she continued...
as Eloise - Thomas RoyThomas RoyThomas Roy is an American film, television and voice actor. Roy is, perhaps, best known for a small, but memorable, role as a street preacher in the 1995 film, 12 Monkeys, which was directed by Terry Gilliam and co-starred Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt and Madeleine Stowe.Roy will star in the upcoming...
as Old Man Harrison - Ron Simons as Carey Ford
- Kevin C. Walls as Police Officer
Production
Filming took place in Summer 2009 in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Director Tanya Hamilton
Tanya Hamilton
Tanya Hamilton is an American film director and producer. She came to the United States at the age of eight, and settled in Maryland with her mother...
said of the film; "There's a distinct lack of content specific to what it is to be a black American, the variations in that experience, what life is like for people who are ordinary. Those are the stories I want to tell."
Tanya Hamilton
Tanya Hamilton
Tanya Hamilton is an American film director and producer. She came to the United States at the age of eight, and settled in Maryland with her mother...
has explained that the story, which took her 10 years to finish, was based on her creative ideas mixed with historical facts: “I liked weaving this world of fiction and pieces of fact, but I didn’t want to feel like I was getting it wrong, so I just did my thing. It’s really just about people, and that I thought I could understand.”
Music
The film in its entirety was scoredFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
by The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
, a hip-hop band from Philadelphia, PA
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Reception
Night Catches Us debuted at the 26th Sundance Film Festival26th Sundance Film Festival
The 26th annual Sundance Film Festival was held from January 21, 2010 until January 31, 2010 in Park City, Utah.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - Restrepo*Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic - Winter's Bone...
, and has since received critical acclaim. Melissa Anderson of The Village Voice said "Tanya Hamilton's striking debut is the rare American-independent film to go beyond the private dramas of its protagonists, imagining them as players in broader historical moments..." The film holds a 81% on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, indicating positive reviews.
Awards/Nominations
- African-American Film Critics AssociationAfrican-American Film Critics AssociationThe African-American Film Critics Association is a group of African-American film critics that give various awards for excellence in film at the end of each year.-History:The association was founded in 2003 by Gil L. Robertson IV and Shawn Edwards...
- Best Picture (Top 10 Finalist)
- Winner, Best Screenplay (Adapted or Original): Tanya HamiltonTanya HamiltonTanya Hamilton is an American film director and producer. She came to the United States at the age of eight, and settled in Maryland with her mother...
- Black Reel Awards
- Winner, Best FilmBlack Reel Award: Best Film-Winners/Nominees:...
- Winner, Best ActressBlack Reel Award: Best ActressThis is a list of actresses who have won and been nominated for the Black Reel Award for Best Actress.As of the 2011 ceremony, Sanaa Lathan has won twice, the most in this category. Keke Palmer is currently the youngest winner in this category...
(Kerry Washington) - Winner, Best ActorBlack Reel Award: Best ActorHere are the nominees and winners of the Black Reel Award for Best Actor.*Denzel Washington current hold the records for most wins with 3.*8 nominated/winning Black Reel Performances earned Oscar wins or nominations: Denzel Washington , Will Smith , Jamie Foxx , Don Cheadle , Terrence...
(Anthony Mackie) - Nominee, Best DirectorBlack Reel Award: Best Director-Winners/Nominees:...
(Tanya Hamilton) - Winner, Best Screenplay, Adapted or OriginalBlack Reel Award: Best Screenplay, Adapted or OriginalHere are the winners and nominees of the Black Reel Award for Best Screenplay, Adapted or Original.-Winners/Nominees:...
(Tanya Hamilton) - Winner, Best Original Score (The Roots)
- Nominee, Best EnsembleBlack Reel Award: Best Ensemble-Winners/Nominees:...
- Nominee, Best Breakthrough PerformanceBlack Reel Award: Best Breakthrough PerformanceHere are the list of nominees and winners of the Black Reel Award for Best Breakthrough Performance.*Jennifer Hudson is the only Black Reel Award nominee to win an Academy Award for her performance.-Winners/Nominees:...
(Amari Cheatom)
- Winner, Best Film
- Chlotrudis Awards
- Nominee, Best Actor (Anthony Mackie)
- Nominee, Best Original Screenplay (Tanya Hamilton)
- Gotham AwardsGotham AwardsThe Gotham Awards is an annual ceremony of awards presented to the makers of independent films which takes place in New York City...
- Nominee, Breakthrough Director Award: Tanya HamiltonTanya HamiltonTanya Hamilton is an American film director and producer. She came to the United States at the age of eight, and settled in Maryland with her mother...
- Nominee, Breakthrough Director Award: Tanya Hamilton
- Independent Spirit Award
- Nominee, Best First Feature
- Image Awards
- Nominee, Best Directing in a Motion Picture or Television Movie/Mini-Series (Tanya Hamilton)
- Nominee, Outstanding Independent Motion Picture
- Nominee, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (Anthony Mackie)
- Nominee, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (Kerry Washington)
External links
- Watch the movie on iTunes
- http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-etw-hamilton26-2010jan26,0,953281.story
- http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-03-24/film/our-guide-to-the-greatest-of-the-nd-nf-s-latest/