Subsequently, he is racially profiled and left for the gallows until the steadfast defence lawyer Katherine O’Brien (Jennifer Ehle) steps in to attempt a timely rescue. Harmon whole-heartedly pleads his innocence despite his friends turning on him. He is accused of being an accessory to murder after an attempted robbery of a departmental store goes awry.
Set in Harlem, the film’s protagonist Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) is a likeable 17-year old who attends an elite high school and aspires to be a filmmaker. The film is essentially a courthouse drama, where scenes from the past and present are inter-cut at a dizzying pace, to shape a narrative that tries hard to engage its viewers.Īlso Read | Get ‘First Day First Show’, our weekly newsletter from the world of cinema, in your inbox. For one, the story of a black teen caught on the wrong side of a racially unjust criminal justice system has become an on-screen staple a case study in how art imitates life.Īnd yet, this latest Netflix release seems to be influenced more by some of its forgettable predecessors rather than focusing on the ones which did impress. More than three years since its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Anthony Mandler’s Monster is more relevant now than it ever was.