Yep, that is the actual title, and it explains itself about as literally as you could possibly do.
The angry black girl in question, though, is an “A” student, who seems less angry than super brainy and ambitious and curious.
At least at first.
Synopsis:
Vicaria is a brilliant teenager who believes death is a disease that can be cured. After the brutal and sudden murder of her brother, she embarks on a dangerous journey to bring him back to life. Inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER thematically challenges our ideas of life and death. Bomani J. Story, the film’s writer and director, crafts a thrilling tale about a family that, despite the terrors of systemic pressure, will survive and be reborn again.
Laya DeLeon Hayes is absolutely perfect in the lead roe—we believe her, we empathize with her obviously racists surroundings at a “good” school, and we understand her frustration at the surge of drugs and its attendant violence finding its way through her neighborhood.
It’s important to note that this is not a direct Frankenstein re-make. But it has a lot of parallels (and I laughed out loud when Vicaria said “he’s alive!” In an underplayed and sly reference to the Mary Shelley classic.
Director Bomani J. Story has a lot of fun with this – there’s humor, but also some serious shit to take in. I would have liked to see his monster in better light-get a better view of him, but the dim light might be a function of a lower budget keeping the practical effects from too much scrutiny.
And, yes, I’d love to see a sequel of this and I hope they’re already working on one.
3 out of 4 stars| In Theaters June 9th | Rated R
