“All Day and a Night,” the latest film from Netflix, tells the story of a young black man dealing with the reality of his circumstances.
Jah is sentenced to life in prison where he begins to unravel his choices and reconciles with his father, J.D., played by Jeffrey Wright.
Growing up with a violent father and a hapless mother, Jah looked to the streets for answers on how to escape his reality only to take the exact same route as his father, a violent man who believed that brute strength in the neighborhood and beyond were the only answers to every problem—only much faster.
“All Day and a Night” suffers from this fatal flaw—Jah’s motivations never justifies the murders—and the film never recovers.
Sanders’ character is anything but redeemable, a story is sadly seen too many times in fiction and reality: A person who grew up with no moral compass and few options who ends up where society’s odds place him.
