On the night of the 2016 Presidential election, Cass, an L.A. club promoter, takes a thrilling and emotional journey with Frida, a Midwestern visitor. She challenges him to revisit his broken dreams - while he pushes her to discover hers.
Qasim Basir's melancholic mood piece, "A Boy. A Girl. A Dream.," certainly has its pretensions...But to get caught up in its impressive stylishness is to miss the larger point of finding strength through human connection.
From the open cityscapes to the closed confines of the rideshare, Basir packs plenty of material for audiences to digest. His use of such a turbulent time is unique and thought-provoking.
The dialogue is best when it focuses on issues you can actually take seriously, but the couple's talk about dreams deferred is too knee-jerk to warrant sympathy.
Its reach ultimately exceeds its grasp, but this low-budget character drama benefits from a pair of solid understated performances and scrappy ambition.
The understated performances gurgle with powerful emotions. Hardwick and Good are terrific as people trying be cool to a stranger, but failing to conceal their underlying feelings.
