What we thought of 4 films screening at BlackStar Film Fest

<em>Troop 491: The Adventures of the Muddy Lions</em>

Troop 491: The Adventures of the Muddy Lions | B-

Director/writer Praheme drew from his time as a Richmond, Va., Boy Scout for Troop 491: The Adventures of the Muddy Lions, and it’s this experience of moral tug-of-war filtered through inner-city adolescence that is the film’s most genuine quality. Newly minted middle schooler Tristan (Kimani Coleman) is sweet, sensitive, bright and the clear outlier of his group of posturing, up-to-no-good friends. When his mother enrolls him in the Boy Scouts to steer him away from mischief, he begins questioning his own trajectory; the Scouts are perceived as soft and lame, but Tristan knows well enough that sticking around with his old buddies will eventually get him into trouble. Tristan’s inner conflict after witnessing a murder (snitching versus keeping quiet) fuels Troop 491 enough to shadow the overall stiffness and complete disregard for how urban tweens communicate with one another. Example: I think the word “swag” appeared in dialogue over 50 times.  Sat., Aug. 2, 1 p.m., free, Annenberg School for Communications, 3620 Walnut St.

—Marc Snitzer

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Half of a Yellow Sun | B

Rare is the adaptation that is approved, and even respected, by the original writer. So Nigerian literary rising star Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s professed happiness with this film adaptation of her acclaimed 2006 novel should count for a lot. But the directorial debut of London-based playwright and writer Biyi Bandele did not impress me similarly. The novel’s interrupted chronology is subverted for a linear plot that, given its faithfulness to Adichie’s plot twists, feels uneven and needlessly sensational. Still, the drama of two sisters’ voyages in life and love as disrupted by the atrocities of the late-’60s Biafran Wars (buoyed along by dedicated performances from Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose and Chiwetel Ejiofor, among others) is a functional introduction to the rising power of new post-colonial voices in contemporary film. Sat., Aug. 2, 8:30 p.m., $10, International House, 3701 Chestnut St.

—Sameer Rao

Evolution of a Criminal | B+

Darius Clark Monroe, with the backing of his former N.Y.U. professor Spike Lee, hits rewind on himself with Evolution of a Criminal, deeply dissecting the single childhood decision that derailed his life. As a 16-year-old standout student growing up in Houston, Monroe, sick of his family’s financial struggles, conspired with two friends to rob a local bank, making off with $140,000. As the mastermind, Monroe recounts the motivations behind the deed and the permanent effects it had on relatives, friends and bystanders, who sit down to share their bluntest perspectives with the contrite convict, who is both interviewer and subject. Though Monroe expresses deep apologies, the doc is not just a story of reconciliation — it’s an eloquent and sobering reminder that crime is rarely as simple as the police blotter states. Citizens who break the law don’t all look, talk, act or think a certain way. Monroe’s sensitive filmmaking, self-aware in the most inclusive manner, reminds us of this truth.  Sun., Aug. 3., 12:45 p.m., $10, International House.

—Drew Lazor

Time is Illmatic | A-

Propelled by interviews with Nas, his brother Jabari and his father Olu Dara, first-time feature maker One9’s documentary uses interviews with musical collaborators, performance footage and archival material to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of Nas’ seminal Illmatic, and examine the 20-year-old who created it. As we see Nas in the present honored at Harvard University, we are also presented an empathetic and nuanced portrayal of Nas’ upbringing and neighborhood: a fractured and complex family, degradation, dropouts, drugs and death in the projects. It’s a story haunted by ghosts, and stricken by time; a film full of those who didn’t make it surrounding the young man in whose songs their struggles live on. Sun., Aug. 3, 5 p.m., $10, International House.

—Dotun Akintoye