Hollywood is known for its tentpoles, sequels, and re-imaginations, but every once in a while, the pipeline will produce a heartfelt telling of the human experience. A.V. Rockwell’s A Thousand and One has the winning aesthetic of a very specific story with universal appeal.
A Thousand and One follows the emotionally-stirring story of Inez, played masterfully by Teyana Taylor, and her years-long journey with her only son, Terry. Fresh out of Rikers Island, Inez struggles to provide a stable life for herself and child, who she illegally takes out of the foster care system and gives a new identity. The possibility of being discovered as they manage life in Harlem haunts and threatens the strong bond between mother and son.
The character Terry is played by three different actors at various stages of his life. Aaron Kingsley Adetola (Rise) draws viewers in as the first introduction to Terry in an electrifying performance that adequately demonstrates the vulnerability of being a child in foster care.
Aven Courtney (The Last O.G.) takes over the reins as Terry approaches his early teen years, while Josiah Cross (King Richard) plays 17-year-old Terry on the verge of high school graduation and college prospects. Together, their subtle acknowledgments and truthful disclosures coincide well with the tough exterior and purpose-driven core of Taylor’s character, Inez.
A Thousand and One is a masterclass for phenomenal acting with a cast rounded out by William Catlett (The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey) as the lone father-figure Lucky, Terri Abney (Loving) as supportive friend Kim Jones, Alicia Pilgrim (Random Acts of Flyness) as Terry’s love interest Simone, and Amelia Workman (American Rust) as a school mentor to Terry.
Watch the Trailer for ‘A Thousand and One’
The lead star, Teyana Taylor, has continuously been consistent in the amount of range she brings to any capacity of her decade-long career. From singing to producing, or acting to directing, Taylor is the embodiment of the multi-hyphen often described for the hardest workers in the entertainment business.
The “Lose Each Other” singer has come a long way from her role in the 2010 film Stomp the Yard 2. In A Thousand and One she offers up her best performance, somehow giving us signature Teyana as the no-mess taking New York thorough-bred, while also channeling a woman battered but not broken.
Even when a certain twisted truth is revealed, giving viewers the impression that they have her figured out, all it takes is one eyebrow-raising smile from Taylor to throw off any perceptions we came to conclude about Inez by the end of the film.
Rockwell makes her full-length feature film debut as writer and director of A Thousand and One. The Sight Unseen Pictures, Focus Features, and Hilman Grad film first premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, taking home the Grand Jury Prize.
The MouthSoap highly recommends viewing A Thousand and One, which takes a bow in movie theaters on March 31.
