Directed by Charles Burnett • 1999 • United States
Starring James Earl Jones, Lynn Redgrave, Margot Kidder
Virtually unseen for years only to reemerge as a lost gem of American independent cinema, this surprising, ineffably tender romantic comedy from master director Charles Burnett (KILLER OF SHEEP) features unforgettable performances from James Earl Jones and Lynn Redgrave as two lost souls who find an unexpected home in each other. Fish (Jones) is a gentle Jamaican immigrant wrestling (quite literally) with his inner demons, while Poinsettia (Redgrave) is a brash eccentric with delusions of her own. When they meet as neighbors in a Los Angeles boardinghouse, a tentative relationship offers them both an escape from their shared loneliness. Touching on themes of mental illness, aging, and race with supreme delicacy, Burnett brings Fish and Poinsettia’s troubled but colorful world to life with boundless grace and compassion.
Up Next in Directed by Charles Burnett
-
The Glass Shield
Directed by Charles Burnett • 1994 • United States
Starring Michael Boatman, Lori Petty, Ice CubeCharles Burnett’s powerful police drama follows J. J. Johnson (Michael Boatman), an idealistic rookie cop and the only Black officer in an all-white precinct, as he confronts racism and corruption w...
-
Killer of Sheep
Directed by Charles Burnett • 1977 • United States
Starring Henry Gayle Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles BracyA quiet revelation of American independent filmmaking, Charles Burnett’s lyrical debut feature unfolds as a mosaic of Black life in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, where Stan (Henr...
-
Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property
Directed by Charles Burnett • 2003 • United States
Starring Carl Lumbly, Tommy Hicks, James OpherNat Turner’s slave rebellion is a watershed event in America’s long and troubled history of slavery and racial conflict. NAT TURNER: A TROUBLESOME PROPERTY tells the story of that violent confrontat...
