Film: Rob Peace

The story of Robert DeShaun Peace whose father is falsely accused and sentenced to life for murder.

Based on The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, a book written by his roommate,  young Robert is smart and big-hearted. His mum (my delight when Mary J Blige pops up on the screen) is working all the hours she can to ensure Robert receives an education that determines a better future for him. He excels at school with encouragement from an excellent teacher and goes on to study at Yale and educate himself to help his father’s case. Here, he comes across an opportunity to help raise legal funds for his father’s case; selling drugs.

The story of Rob Peace (played by newcomer, Jay Will) is well worth telling and the film seems to be driven by Chiwetel Ejiofor who directs and stars in it. I love that although we have the well-worn story of the black man caught up in gun violence, Robert Peace Snr clearly wants to be a good father and is frustrated at the lack of opportunities. His mother, coming from a stable family, does have the opportunity and gives it wholeheartedly to her son.

I love that Rob Peace accumulates a fantastic variety of friends at Yale and that race doesn’t prevent him from building a fantastic variety of friends - who become his customers.

This is not Chiwetel Ejiofor’s directorial debut; I find that is The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which, based on this,  I have added to my must-watch list.

7½/10