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Idris Elba and Monique Gabriela Curnen in Thomas
Ikimi's new film Legacy which recently screened at
The 2010 Tribeca Film Festival and the Cannes Film
Market: Photo by George Cameron Geddes
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Waiting in my seat for the International Premiere of Legacy at The 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, it was clear something great was about to happen on screen, as a buzz was swirling around the beautiful main theater at the Village East Cinemas was unlike any I had felt in some time at a festival. Just taking in the film itself would have been a great night, but the show writer/director Thomas Ikimi, as well as actors Idris Elba, Eamonn Walker, and Monique Gabriela Curnen put on after the film in the Q & A made it worth attending well beyond the price of admission. It was clear that there was a lot of hard work that happened during production, but there must have been a lot of laughs in there as well. A note to all of you film producers out there, if you are putting together a comedy, Idris Elba is your man. During this Q & A, Ikimi, as he did in our interview that can be found under the picture at left, showed an intelligence and passion for his craft that will serve him very well in his extremely bright future, as Legacy is a perfect example of having a vision, sticking to it, and doing whatever it takes to get that vision to the big screen. Also of note, Legacy just screened at the Cannes Film Market last week, a great place to possibly pick up distribution, which will allow many more to experience this brilliant work. Now on to a more detailed review of the film, spoiler free, so be aware, specific plot points will not be found here, rather this will be an analysis of the filmmaking and acting craft as well as the narrative force the film carries.
From the opening credit sequence, which strongly built the tone for the rest of film, Legacy made a mark that I have been unable to wash away, thankfully. In film, to create a powerful work, it is necessary to mine the depths of an emotional place the character is in, then examine that moment from multiple angles, inducing a reaction from the viewer that relates in some way to the character's plight. In Legacy, Ikimi and Elba, who stars as former Black Ops agent Malcolm Gray, do this time and time again, keeping in mind it is important to not overlook the indispensible contributions that the film's editing, done by the razor sharp Richard Graham (he and Ikimi both edited), as well as the brooding and foreboding original music composed by Mark Kilian have added to the mix. The use of flashbacks to provide exposition, mixed with the emotional power of the scenes within the single hotel room most of the present day action occurs in, created a tense, exciting, and entertaining vibe that carried throughout this poignant and important film.
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Thomas Ikimi checks on the makeup of Idris Elba on the set of Legacy: Photo by George Cameron Geddes
Ikimi built broad concepts facing the world today, terrorism, espionage, and fraud, into the framework of the story, but none more important perhaps than his building of fear and paranoia into the film. These emotional responses fuel and drive many decisions today, unfortunately so, but perhaps a film like Legacy brings a more rational sensibility to this difficult issue and may spur discussion about it in a proactive manner. This fear and paranoia is what ultimately drives Malcolm Gray into the state that we find him in as the film begins. He is recovering from extensive physical and psychological torture inflicted by his kidnappers after his most recent mission, hoping some solitude and reflection will ease his mind. Numerous devices are used by Ikimi to create different portals into Gray's plight, from using a personal video diary Gray is keeping, to the visitors he receives at his Brooklyn apartment and his responses to them, to his interactions with his powerful brother Darnell Gray, a Senator who wants to be President, played by Eamonn Walker with a stoicism and gravitas needed to portray a politician's complex psyche successfully. Ikimi's background studying writing and literature at the prestigious Columbia University clearly pays dividends for him in this film and his ability to construct characters and a narrative that all relate seamlessly to each other.
The balanced performance provided by Elba was paramount to this film ultimately working. He played the cross of kind and tender man mixed with the calculated, opportunistic assassin with a skill rarely seen. There are scenes when I was on the verge of tears and emotional overload where he then brings a humorous tension breaker to the scene, allowing the viewer a deeper emotional connection with his character, identifying with a normal human response to stressful situations. The complexity of Malcolm Gray is deftly constructed, as someone who is a soldier is supposed to be emotionless, hardened, unaffected, qualities that he certainly possesses on one level, but on a deeper level, he is concerned, passionate, and affected by his own choices and the choices of those around him on a powerful and deeply seeded psychological level. Once again, a clarity of vision for the film is paramount to this complexity working, which Ikimi and Elba certainly seemed to share and use very successfully here. This film is certainly a move into complex dramatic territory for Elba, one that hopefully continues, as his ability to carry a scene shines through like the star he looks to be morphing into.
The depth within the narrative was unfortunately lost on a couple of reviewers who I won't even mention here to put their names out there and it is unfortunate. It just so happens that many of the people employed in my industry have no clue what makes a great film and possess a flawed at best critical eye for understanding how to comprehend as complex of a narrative as there is in Legacy. A lot of that has to do with the fact that they have never made a film themselves, written a story, or even studied film criticism for that matter. Thankfully, there are a few folks out there like me who have done all three and can give the truth about a phenomenal work like Legacy. This element, of the press as a pawn is just another layer that is critical to getting all that you can from the film, as most people just believe what they read without understanding who is telling them the information and why they are relaying it. I have no dog in this fight other than providing you the reader with the truth as I see it about the films I attend, and Legacy, taking everything into account, is a film from a rising star, Thomas Ikimi, who is certain to make more great things in the future.
As festival screenings are announced and any news on a distribution deal comes forth, updates will be made on this ongoing story, so is the life of an independent film like Legacy. If you are interested in following along with the coverage of the TFF or film festivals in the future, you can receive these articles directly as they are published by clicking on the “Subscribe” button at the top of this piece. You can also follow me on Twitter by searching for ericshlapack or by clicking the link below.
For more info:
2010 Tribeca Film Festival
Legacy website
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