Can’t say I’m a fan of movies like the one today. Because it was bad? Oh, Hell no. A Thousand and One was better than it wasn’t. My antipathy comes from subjects I can’t really be glib about and still look myself in the mirror afterwards. Those topics include things like: parents in jail, disadvantaged people just trying to get by, and child abduction (all present in today’s film). Not only does that stuff not lend itself to punchlines … you kinda feel like a dick afterwards.
Inez (Teyana Taylor) starts the movie in prison. She’s more challenging than most anti-heroes. She’s no accidental inmate; we’re sure she was put in prison for a good reason, probably a violent one. It’s clear she wants to go in a different direction, but her personality sure isn’t her friend. Inez has either alienated or is about to alienate the entirety of the NYC phone directory. (The film takes place in a forgotten era of pay phones and phone books.)
During this time of searching for a place, Inez takes to stalking her son, a boy lost in the foster care system. We see she doesn’t really know how to mother, either, but she wants to. When Terry (Aaron Kingsley Adetola as 6 year-old-Terry, Aven Courtney as 13-year-old Terry, Josiah Cross as 17-year-old Terry) is hospitalized for carelessness, Inez makes her move. She softens up the previously indifferent child with gifts and attention, and then she steals him away. She’s his, right? This should be no big deal, right?
Ironically, having Terry around makes it easier for Inez to find a place to live. It is possible that prospective landlords now see her naturally acerbic personality in context … or it is possible they just feel sorry for the kid, wouldn’t you? Either way, doors open for Inez that were previously closed. Now, she just needs to complete
her ensemble with a new fake identity for Terry and a husband, fellow ex-jailbird Lucky (Will Catlett).
For the entirety of Act II, I thought A Thousand and One was a standard “slice of life” film. And at that, it rated “meh.” Seen better, seen worse. Inez is never quite an endearing figure (nor is Lucky for that matter), but the more we see of her, the more we give a mumble-faced sigh and hope that the inevitable tragedy to happen can be staved off a little longer. The family doesn’t lack for issues: Lucky is in no hurry to be endearing and neither is Terry for that matter. This kid is smart, but very quiet and seemingly passionless. Is this what happens when you grow up too soon? Maybe.
I was borderline on A Thousand and One until the end of the film, where the plot takes an unexpected turn or two and the passionless suddenly becomes very passionate. Oh, this is not just a “slice of life” film, but a quality of life film, and a true exploration of what quality of life actually means. I think the middle is slow-moving and wanes; in retrospect, however, I see it was necessary for the conclusion to have the impact that it does. I wish to heaven I liked literally any of the characters in this film better than I did, but part of me has to accept that a cultural divide is at work here, and A Thousand and One will speak volumes to those in a similar demographic and should be respected on that count. One way or another, I’m going to try to remember the name A.V. Rockwell.
There once was a woman named Inez
Who wasn’t exactly born to be Prez
With personality un-mild
She stole her own child
Don’t like it? She don’t care what you says
Rated R, 117 Minutes
Director: A.V. Rockwell
Writer: A.V. Rockwell
Genre: Movies that make you question
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Orphans
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: NYC Social Services
