The Obituary of Tunde Johnson

I absolutely loved this movie. It exploits some of the hard truths but most importantly I loved the interracial gay couple lead. That I identify with mostly and is the most beautiful portrayal of love there is!

Flawed (aren't we all) but boldly creative. First, LeRoi is responsible for the inimitable "Everybody Hates Chris". Second, it's a sincere attempt to analyse the reality of "driving while Black". Third, certain elements of this film are unlikely to have happened at all without Barry Jenkins's "Moonlight" (2016); but where Jenkins wove a thread of class critique throughout his landmark black-on-black outing, LeRoi's piece is set in a body-temperature porridge of privilege, be that black or white. The fact that Tunde's paramour is a classic white jock in denial is key to the huge difference in tone and intention between Jenkins and LeRoi. That said, LeRoi was wise to choose someone with the depth of Steven Silver, whereas the actor Neville tends to be two-dimensional. The mix of sci-fi, Groundhog Day and drama is an adventurous one with all the attendant risks. I recommend partnering the film with the outstanding "Fruitvale Station" (2013, Ryan Coogler), a director Tunde claims to adore, along with writer Teju Cole (Nigerian) whose debut novel "Open City" knocked the critics sideways. Certainly, LeRoi is anchored and has done his homework, which suggests his collaboration on Chris Rock's turkey "Head of State" was to pay off some grim lawsuit. Interestingly, the undercurrent of this movie explain the extraordinary friendship between the "hated" Chris and his white sidekick Stanley and LeRoi's evident understanding of the many faces of love. But back to the class issue: note that most of the young blacks recently slaughtered in the US are from the so-called "lower" classes. Meanwhile, the roadside pullover by white cops references the parallel scene in "Crash" with the wealthy black couple's humiliation. Driving while black is neither a joke nor a media fantasy, it's an everyday reality for thousands of American citizens whose deficit of whiteness puts them in the wrong place at the wrong time. "I will no longer die, I have become two hundred hills rolled into one, I am immovable," quoth Tunde on his nth round of assassination (the right word for his mode of death). Screenwriter Stanley Kalu has done an astonishing job, especially since he and the director anticipated George Floyd's murder and the consequent BLM movement, whose echoes will continue to resound worldwide as long as race continues to divide: the dying Tunde is on the ground in a police stranglehold and tries to utter the words "I can't breathe".

This timely film courageously addresses multiple issues: racial profiling, homophobia, police brutality, drug addiction, mental health and more. The 'time loop' structure can seem tiresome after awhile, however, each time we come back to a familiar scene it is presented in a refreshing way. I highly recommend this film!

I've seen a lot of "groundhog" day movies. Some I really liked, some not and some of them I just liked the first time. Most of them were funny and I surely mourned the dead. But I was never so attached. I've never been as distressed and sad about every single dead and I've never been so scarred for the upcoming even I knew it comes. I'm shocked and I'm so so sorry.

This movie is great at evoking moods. That, plus the interesting characters, pulled me right in. Steven Silver gives a powerful and affecting performance as Tunde.

I get the message but it was really boring. I manage to get to the end because I wanted to see how it will end. Before this i kept saying for someone who kept dying you would think he would just try to keep a low profile or trying staying inside. In the end i got the point though kind of.