Movie Review: Imperial Dreams

This week I’ll be reviewing the Netflix Original film Imperial Dreams. Starring John Boyega, the story follows an ex-con turned aspiring writer who attempts to secure a better life for his son after being released from prison. Ghosts from his past and bureaucratic obstacles in his present conspire against him as he tries to break out of an endless cycle of poverty and violence in LA’s notorious Watts projects. Although it initially debuted to strong reviews at Sundance in 2014, the film is just now receiving a wide release on Netflix. The three year delay does nothing to diminish the film’s emotional power or its social relevance. In under 90 minutes, Imperial Dreams manages to touch on income inequality, police harassment and recidivism, all filtered through the lens of a father’s love for his son.

In its opening moments, we are introduced to Bambi Jones, a 21-year-old ex-con returning to his old stomping grounds after being granted parole. As he shuffles along the sidewalk, belongings in a bag, retrieves his keys from the bumper of his beat-up sedan, and reunites with a son who was barely an infant when he left, Bambi’s internal monologue narrates, reading from the pages of his journal. “You can’t splash back into the hood...you have to slide back in.” Bambi’s efforts not to make waves are short-lived, however, as he finds himself surrounded by people and situations that tempt him to return to the life of violence he once knew. There’s the amoral figure of Uncle Shrimp, a drug dealing slum lord and the only father figure Bambi’s ever known, who offers to let Bambi and his son stay in his house, but expects his former protege to contribute to his operation. Detectives Gill and Hernandez, the cops who landed Bambi in prison and are more than willing to send him back if he doesn’t stay out of trouble. Wayne, Bambi’s half-brother who has landed a partial scholarship to Howard, but still needs some funds to make up the difference and is increasingly drawn to Shrimps’ line of work. Not to mention the catch-22 of needing a license to get a job but also needing money to pay for said license, and a million similar pitfalls that the system sends his way. Through it all, Bambi must try to hold onto his dream of making it as a writer and providing a safe environment for his son.

This movie is no cake walk.

Boyega is electric as Bambi. Although he is still a year or so removed from his introduction to wider audiences in a galaxy far, far away, his talent and charisma already shine through in every scene. You feel his tenderness when he cradles his son to his chest, his delight when he is able to provide for him, and his rage when their chaotic surroundings threaten to tear them apart. Matching him scene for scene is Glen Plummer as Uncle Shrimp. Unlike Bambi, Shrimp is more than comfortable with his lot in life, and openly contemptuous of his surrogate son’s attempts to leave. He is toxic relationships personified, just as likely to shoot you as hug you. The rest of the ensemble turns in solid performances as well, including a turn from Anika Noni Rose as a no-nonsense social worker and an appearance by Kellita Smith as Bambi’s alcoholic mother Tanya that will be extremely jarring for anyone who remembers her from The Bernie Mac Show. During your short time with them, it’s almost impossible not to feel for these characters and become invested in their well-being. From its quiet beginning to its heartbreaking but hopeful conclusion, Imperial Dreams is a deeply affecting and emotionally rewarding journey. You can catch Imperial Dreams streaming on Netflix.