Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison

Great ensemble cast in addition to Malco (who also wrote and directed) and Hall bring this indie together in unexpected ways. The main character Tijuana Jackson is an ex-convict with ambition to be a world renowned life coach/motivational speaker. Hilarious rap-preaching in and out of prison, with lines you're going to have to rewind and repeat, and still might not make sense. He might be around the edges but his heart is in the right place, The tone changes from scene to scene as we see TJ and Cheryl (Regina Hall), his parole officer, through the lens of a couple of soon to be college grads versus through the gorgeous cinematography of John Rosario. Great preamble to important conversations about some of what black Americans have been grappling with for decades and are coming to a boiling point again in 2020. This is one of those films that plays with tension designed to tug at complex emotions, make you not know how you're supposed to feel or think, then jabs you with a belly laugh. Great directorial debut. Impressive.