‘A Thousand & One’ is a Perfect Example of Black Women’s Never-Ending Trauma
Image Courtesy of Freddy-OA Thousand & One is one of Focus Feature’s latest films produced by Sight Unseen, Hillman Grad, and Makeready. The film is written & directed by A.V. Rockwell, and stars Teyana Taylor (Inez), Josiah Cross (Teenage Terry), Aaron Kingsley Adetola (Young Terry), and William Catlett (Lucky). Gary Gunn is credited for composing the music for the film. A number of production credits were given: Rachel Jacobs (executive), Javian Ashton Le (co-), Leonid Lebedev (executive), and more.
Set in New York City, the movie chronicles a mother and son duo’s life among poverty and trauma. Inez kidnaps Terry, who viewers believe to be her biological son, after she gets home from serving a short stint in prison. This is her effort to prevent the foster care system from separating them again, and she wants to save him from the same institution that ripped her apart. Rockwell discusses the issues of the system early with Terry being sent to the hospital after jumping out of the window to escape his foster home. We quickly feel for the young boy because his desire for the streets despite the dangers shows just how much of a horrible situation he is in. However, viewers must also grapple with their own morality and the law. When is kidnapping excusable?
Image Courtesy of Focus Features/Sundance Institute via Indie WireInez quickly realizes how difficult this reunion truly is. Outside of being illegal, Inez’s quick decision does not account for the financial hardships that accompany raising a child in the 1990s in New York City. The two are quickly thrust into the jungle, and Inez’ antics show how young she really is. Behind her tough exterior, she is an emotionally immature 22-year-old in search of validation, protection, and love. Even her impressive street smarts can’t prevent her from making mistakes along the way. Still, she consistently sacrifices to make a life for them.
When her boyfriend Lucky is released from jail, Inez tries her best to bring them all together and create the family she always wanted as a foster care child. But Lucky is reluctant to accept her dream for several reasons, (1) he knows Terry is not his child, (2) he does not want to go back to jail, and (3) his wandering eyes & Inez’s attitude makes commitment a struggle for him. Eventually, Lucky and Inez get married, and the three become one happy family. Or so it seems.
Images Courtesy of Andy Harris via The Maroon TigerA Thousand & One was one of the most poignant, relevant, necessary, intentional productions I have watched in a while. It evoked emotions I did not even know were hidden under old trauma I never explored. I felt incredibly helpless after watching the film. Throughout, it is revealed how much Inez truly gave up to create a life for Terry, including her own life. She is undervalued and underappreciated by both of the men in her life, despite giving them all she has and prioritizing their needs over her own. When the two are angry with her – often for a reason unjustifiable – Inez is left alone. She has no friends or family, and she gave up her passion of hairstyling to provide for her husband and son. I grew angry for Inez and built a resentment for Terry & Lucky without thinking about the root of their flaws: they, too, were forced to grow up too fast in their own ways.
Teyana Taylor beautifully portrays Inez so well that it was hard for me to separate Taylor from Inez after watching the film. But the reality is, she is Inez. So many Black women at every intersect – young and old – are Inez. Black women are superheroes that pour themselves into their industries and the people around them without receiving much in return because their efforts are never viewed as good enough. On top of the truth of the culturally popular colloquialism, “if it ain’t one thing, it’s another.” This unfortunate reality is what makes the end of the movie so rewarding, and the entirety of the production a must-see.