-By Duane Byrge
For movie details, please click here.
Toe to Toe steps over stereotypical racial stories and
springs out with an emotional verve and confidence that won over an
appreciative Sundance 2009 audience. This hard-forged film is a
winning debut for filmmaker Emily Abt.
Sociologists tells us that interracial friendships between kids
generally end at 14. This story starts roughly three years later,
as two high =-school seniors forge their friendship on their prep
school's lacrosse team.
They are polar-opposite girls on the socioeconomic landscape. Tosha
(Sonequa Martin) dwells in the poverty hole of Washington, D.C.,
the blighted Anacostia area. She's black and determined to rise out
of her ghetto surroundings and mindset; in short, she wants to do
things that smash the racial stereotypes: play a sport that black
girls don't play and attend a college, Princeton, that black girls
of her background don't aspire to attend. Jesse (Louisa Krause)
hails from posh Bethesda, Maryland, and is an exhibitionist dying
for attention. Neglected by a careerist, workaholic mom, Jesse
essentially is parentless.
This story flip-flop—with the inner-city girl having the nurturing
guidance, albeit a grandmother, and the rich suburban white girl
essentially growing up on her own—is emblematic of the sociological
and story clichés that Abt smashes and turns upside-down in her
compelling story. This powerful tale indulges no pat racial-drama
conventions and rings true throughout.
Highest marks to Abt—who wrote, directed and produced here—for her
perceptive and scorching portrait of teenage friendship. Overall,
her gritty storytelling imbues Toe with a winning glow.
Martin is superb as the competitive, highly driven black girl; her
nuanced performance roils with inner conflicts. As the
attention-starved suburban girl, Krause transcends the usual
poor-little-rich-girl markings with an all-out and wonderfully
messy depiction. As Tosha's inspirational and taskmaster grandma,
Leslie Uggams wallops with a robust and heartfelt
performance.
Technical contributions win high grades, including cinematographer
Alan Jacobsen's shrewd high-school lensing. Composers Ion Furjanic
and Sanford Livingston invigorate Toe with an ascendant, raw
score.
-
The Hollywood Reporter
Film Review: Toe to Toe
A splendid, non-traditional story of interracial friendship.
Feb 26, 2010
-By Duane Byrge
For movie details, please click here.
Toe to Toe steps over stereotypical racial stories and springs out with an emotional verve and confidence that won over an appreciative Sundance 2009 audience. This hard-forged film is a winning debut for filmmaker Emily Abt.
Sociologists tells us that interracial friendships between kids generally end at 14. This story starts roughly three years later, as two high =-school seniors forge their friendship on their prep school's lacrosse team.
They are polar-opposite girls on the socioeconomic landscape. Tosha (Sonequa Martin) dwells in the poverty hole of Washington, D.C., the blighted Anacostia area. She's black and determined to rise out of her ghetto surroundings and mindset; in short, she wants to do things that smash the racial stereotypes: play a sport that black girls don't play and attend a college, Princeton, that black girls of her background don't aspire to attend. Jesse (Louisa Krause) hails from posh Bethesda, Maryland, and is an exhibitionist dying for attention. Neglected by a careerist, workaholic mom, Jesse essentially is parentless.
This story flip-flop—with the inner-city girl having the nurturing guidance, albeit a grandmother, and the rich suburban white girl essentially growing up on her own—is emblematic of the sociological and story clichés that Abt smashes and turns upside-down in her compelling story. This powerful tale indulges no pat racial-drama conventions and rings true throughout.
Highest marks to Abt—who wrote, directed and produced here—for her perceptive and scorching portrait of teenage friendship. Overall, her gritty storytelling imbues Toe with a winning glow.
Martin is superb as the competitive, highly driven black girl; her nuanced performance roils with inner conflicts. As the attention-starved suburban girl, Krause transcends the usual poor-little-rich-girl markings with an all-out and wonderfully messy depiction. As Tosha's inspirational and taskmaster grandma, Leslie Uggams wallops with a robust and heartfelt performance.
Technical contributions win high grades, including cinematographer Alan Jacobsen's shrewd high-school lensing. Composers Ion Furjanic and Sanford Livingston invigorate Toe with an ascendant, raw score.
-
The Hollywood Reporter
