Sundance Report: Championing a Gem "Imperial Dreams" | Festivals & Awards
It would appear our empathetic protagonist is in a dire situation, living out of his unworkable car with his 4-year-old son. However, hope lies in Bambi's writing—a talent he developed while imprisoned, hundreds of miles away from home. His musings on the strenuous life of a criminal, which are occasionally read aloud to Day or narrated by Boyega, are illuminating and heartbreaking. Through these characters Vitthal paints a harrowing picture of a life in which the only pertinent question is whether you’ll be killed before you’re incarcerated, or vice-versa. Like the cyclical cycle of violence and poverty, "Imperial Dreams" mercilessly envelops you in its narrative and refuses to let you go until you've been moved. Every gunshot, injustice and tragedy hits emotional chords.
That's not to say that "Imperial Dreams" covers material that hasn't been explored in the movies. John Singleton's masterful "Boyz N the Hood" examined the trials and tribulations of young men in Inglewood back in 1991. But it has been over 20 years since that poignant film and other early '90s inner-city dramas unveiled their horrors. By showing the psychological and socioeconomic hardships that have yet to subside, "Imperial Dreams" suggests that not much has changed. Like Singleton, Vitthal is speaking to us through art, profoundly and lucidly. We've yet to fully listen.
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