Monster Parent Guide

All Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) wants to do is work on his personal film projects and hang out with his little brother, but his options are about to be seriously limited. A robbery at the neighborhood bodega goes awry, resulting in the death of the owner, and Steve was seen in the bodega just before it was hit. Now facing up to 25 years in prison as an accessory to the murder, Steve’s best hope is his attorney, Katherine O’Brien (Jennifer Ehle). On the other side, prosecutor Anthony Petrocelli (Paul Ben-Victor) is determined to win a conviction, and he’s got more than a few witnesses lined up to make sure that Steve never sees freedom again…

Kelvin Harrison Jr. certainly seems to have a type in his films – the high-performing but troubled teen. He played a very similar character in Luce and Waves, and if you’ve seen either of those films, you know roughly what to expect from him in this one. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a talented actor, but I’d like to see him branch out a little at this point. Jennifer Ehle, Jeffrey Wright, and A$AP Rocky round out the rest of the cast, and their performances keep the courtroom drama moving quickly.

The movie is at its strongest when it wades into the ethical swamp of the courtroom. As the trial progresses and we learn more about Steve as a character, the issue shifts from a black-and-white determination of guilt to a moral quagmire about justice. Whether or not Steve was involved in the botched robbery is not the only question. The other is whether he deserves to spend 25 years of his life in prison for walking around a bodega, even if his actions contributed to the crime. The fundamental injustice of such a sentence and the callous indifference of the prosecution are what make this film successful.

Of course, it’s hard to portray prison without running into some content concerns. Those associated with crime are not famed for their genteel language, and that certainly doesn’t improve behind bars, so you can expect a lot of profanity. There is also a scene which briefly portrays teen use of alcohol and marijuana. While the film still has valuable lessons about the justice system, it isn’t a great choice for younger viewers. However, in spite of the language, this could be a good conversation starter for older teens, and a good place to start thinking about what justice means, both to individuals and society as a whole.