In Mickey Hardaway, a young animator's search for a mentor becomes a search for vengeance to those who he feels have failed him.
The film opens with a murder of a man whose identity we later find out. Then it goes back (the timeline can be a bit confusing at times). Mickey Hardaway is director Marcellus Cox's debut, and it has done particularly well at the Las Vegas Black Film Festival.
Mickey (Rashad Hunter) is a young black man from California, and not from a part that's swimming with money. As a little child, he begins to show a passion for art.
It turns into a full-fledged problem when he has a grant offer from the California Institute of Art, which his father (David Chattam) hides, believing art to be a waste of time that will hinder Mickey's future. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad if he didn't also hit and say horrible things to his child.
Mickey, after a physical fight, walks out. Other conflicts ensue, realistic ones, having to do with money and drinking a little too much. At the dialogue level, some interactions are overwritten or overacted; actors like art mentor Joseph Sweeney (Dennis L.A. White) can help ground the scene.
Often, the viewer will find themselves thinking: is Mickey very distrustful or very wise?
Be aware: this is all happening in black and white with a soft, melodic piano in the background, save for one scene with love interest Grace (Ashley Parchment), which is presented in full colour and with riveting sounds. Mickey, now in debt, sick of people, bitter, finds joy in his relationship with Grace. It is her who suggests that he see a therapist.
Therapy sessions are divided into three parts. Mickey gets very upset when the sessions end, each time, as though Dr. Harden (Stephen Cofield Jr.) is personally betraying him.
Eventually Mickey, single and an alcoholic, goes on a rampage. This feels a bit exaggerated as compared to the nuanced emotional pressure the film had successfully maintained for much of its running time; I often had to pause to catch a breath. Mickey Hardaway is about the toll that abuse, effort, and unfortunate circumstances can take on someone. This type of narrative about artists is usually reserved for white characters.
As a parting thought: in a film where art is so crucial, I wish we wish we could see Mickey's art more.
The film is now playing in select theaters in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco, via Indie Rights. It will begin streaming September 1 on The Criterion Channel.