Morris from America explained

Morris from America
Director:Chad Hartigan
Producer:
Music:Keegan DeWitt
Cinematography:Sean McElwee
Editing:Anne Fabini
Runtime:91 minutes
Country:
  • United States
  • Germany
Language:
  • English
  • German
Gross:$91,181[1]

Morris from America is a 2016 coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Chad Hartigan, produced by Martin Heisler, Sara Murphy, Adele Romanski, and Gabriele Simon, and starring Craig Robinson, Markees Christmas, Carla Juri, Lina Keller, and Jakub Gierszał. The film follows a 13-year-old American boy who dreams of becoming a rapper in an EDM-dominated Germany.

It was shown in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival,[2] where Hartigan won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.[3] The film was released on July 7, 2016, through DirecTV Cinema prior to opening in a limited release on August 19, 2016, by A24.[4]

Plot

A coming-of-age adventure story of a 13-year-old American boy Morris who is currently living in Germany with his father Curtis, a soccer coach. Mo faces rejection from his peer group, finds himself impinged on boundaries of trust with his language tutor, romantic infatuation and drug use, finds niche in his rapping skills, learns to accept unexpected and odd experiences without taxing himself. His father also struggles to fit in with German culture and tries to be a stand up man for his son while grieving for his recently dead wife. He does what can be done best at the given time for making a better environment for Mo to grow up.

Cast

Production

In July 2015, it was announced that Chad Hartigan would be directing a film from a screenplay he wrote.[5] It was also announced that Craig Robinson, Carla Juri, and Markees Christmas, Lina Keller, Jakub Gierszal, Eva Löbau and Levin Henning had all been cast in the film, with Christmas portraying the role of an American boy moving to Germany, with Robinson portraying his father, and Juri portraying the role of his tutor.[5] It was also announced that Lichtblick Media GMBH and Beachside Films would be co-producing the film, which is being produced by Sara Murphy, Adele Romanski, Martin Heisler and Gabriele Simon, executive producing are Michael B. Clark and Alex Turtletaub.[5]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2016.[6] [7] Shortly after, A24 acquired U.S distribution rights to the film.[8] The film was released on DirecTV Cinema on July 7, 2016, prior to opening in a limited release on August 19, 2016.[9]

Reception

Critical response

Morris From America received positive reviews from film critics. It holds an 87% rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 87 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's consensus reads, "Morris from America adds some novel narrative twists to its father-son story -- and gains added resonance thanks to a powerful performance from Craig Robinson."[10] On Metacritic the film has a score of 75 out of 100 score, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]

Justin Chang of Variety gave the film a positive review writing "Set to the pulsing hip-hop music that fuels Morris’ dreams and offers him refuge in a place that can seem friendly and threatening by turns, this coming-of-age dramedy explores how the challenges of being young, black and misunderstood can be compounded in a foreign environment, but goes about it in a grounded, character-driven way that never smacks of manipulation or special pleading."[12] Eric Kohn of Indiewire gave the film a B+ writing : "Morris From America excels at conveying the inherent power of companionship in a largely indifferent world. When Curtis asserts that he and his son are 'the only two brothers in Heidelberg,' it's the movie's coziest moment."[13]

Accolades

AwardCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef(s)
Black Reel AwardsOutstanding Breakthrough Performance, MaleMarkees Christmas[14]
Outstanding Independent FilmMorris from America
Cleveland International Film FestivalBest American Independent Feature FilmChad Hartigan[15]
Gotham AwardsBest ActorCraig Robinson[16]
Independent Spirit AwardsBest Supporting MaleCraig Robinson[17]
Seattle International Film FestivalFuturewave Youth Jury AwardChad Hartigan[18]
Sundance Film FestivalSpecial Jury PrizeCraig Robinson[19]
Waldo Salt Screenwriting AwardChad Hartigan
Grand Jury PrizeChad Hartigan

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Morris from America. Box Office Mojo. October 25, 2016.
  2. Web site: Sundance: Competition and Next Films Announced for 2016 Festival . January 24, 2016 . Sundance.
  3. Web site: Sundance: The Birth of a Nation Sweeps Top Prizes . February 1, 2016 . Variety. January 31, 2016 .
  4. Web site: Morris from America Trailer & Poster:Craig Robinson Raises A Teen with Big Dreams in Germany. Slash Film. Ethan. Anderton. June 14, 2016. June 14, 2016.
  5. Web site: Chad Hartigan Sets Next Film 'Morris From America' With Craig Robinson & Carla Juri. Deadline Hollywood. Patrick. Hipes. July 23, 2015. January 31, 2016.
  6. Web site: December 7, 2015 . Sundance Institute Completes Feature Film Lineup For 2016 Sundance Film Festival . January 31, 2016 . sundance.org.
  7. Web site: Morris From America . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160118005343/https://www.sundance.org/projects/morris-from-america . January 18, 2016 . January 31, 2016 . Sundance.org.
  8. Web site: Sundance: A24 Buys 'Morris From America' . Variety. Brent. Lang. January 24, 2016. January 31, 2016.
  9. Web site: Trailer + Poster Debut for Sundance 2016 Award-Winning Crowd-Pleaser, 'Morris from America'. Shadow and Act. June 14, 2016. June 14, 2016.
  10. Web site: Morris From America (2016). Rotten Tomatoes. May 4, 2018.
  11. Web site: Morris from America. . . January 31, 2016.
  12. Web site: Sundance Film Review: 'Morris From America'. Variety. Justin. Chang. January 22, 2016. January 31, 2016.
  13. Web site: Sundance Review: 'Morris From America' Puts a Fresh Spin on Familiar Ingredients. Indiewire. Eric. Kohn. January 30, 2016. January 31, 2016.
  14. Web site: Past Nominees & Winners by Category . November 23, 2022 . Black Reel Awards.
  15. Web site: CIFF year 40th. Cleveland International Film Festival. October 20, 2016. October 27, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201027172458/https://www.clevelandfilm.org/archive/winners. dead.
  16. Web site: Gotham Awards Nominations 2016: 'Manchester By The Sea' Leads with Four. Cox. Gordon. Variety. October 20, 2016. October 20, 2016.
  17. Web site: 2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced!. Warren. Matt. November 22, 2016. Independent Spirit Awards. November 22, 2016.
  18. Web site: Captain Fantastic, Gleason, Girl Asleep Win Top Awards At The 42nd Seattle International Film Festival. Huey. Sara. June 6, 2016. Seattle International Film Festival. June 29, 2016.
  19. Web site: Awards and Winners . February 1, 2016 . Sundance . https://web.archive.org/web/20171027232735/http://www.sundance.org/festivals/sundance-film-festival/program/AWS-guide . October 27, 2017 . dead .