Watching Alfre Woodard act in anything is always a pleasure. So Knucklehead is bound to be good. Dysfunction makes for good drama, especially when it’s family dysfunction. Check out the synopsis and trailer below.
Synopsis:
When his brother disappears, mentally disabled Langston Bellows is left without a protector in Brooklyn’s housing projects. Now under the control of his abusive mother Langston must take his future into his own hands. He sets out to find the one doctor he believes can cure him, a celebrity magazine columnist who touts questionable prescription drug cocktails. If Langston can become “mentally excellent”, it will mean moving into an apartment of his own with his girlfriend, who may herself be a creation of his wishful thinking. Landing in the unscrupulous world of pharmaceutical marketing, the search for his mysterious doctor and hero leads to some unwanted discoveries. Langston strives for independence from his prior life; from his mother, from his neighborhood and from his fractured mind – while all around him people are not who they seem.
Cast:
Gbenga Akinnagbe – Langston
Alfre Woodard – Sheila
Amari Cheatom – Julian
Nikiya Mathis – Teeny Miles
Carla Duren – Cassie
Justin Myrick – Arthur
Dewanda Wise – Charlotte
Crew:
Director/Co-Writer/Producer – Ben Bowman
Writer – Bryan Abrams
Producer – Gbenga Akinnagbe
Knucklehead will premiere at BAMcinématek as part of the New Voices in Black Cinema series. You can buy tickets here.
