Synopsis
Struggling but unapologetically living on her own terms, Inez is moving from shelter to shelter in mid-1990s New York City. With her 6-year-old son Terry in foster care and unable to leave him again, she kidnaps him so they can build their life together. As the years go by, their family grows and Terry becomes a smart yet quiet teenager, but the secret that has defined their lives threatens to destroy the home they have so improbably built.
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Cast
- Teyana TaylorInez
- William CatlettLucky
- Josiah CrossTerry
- Aven CourtneyTerry 13 Year Old
- Aaron Kingsley AdetolaTerry 6 Years Old
- Terri AbneyKim Jones
- Delissa ReynoldsMrs. Jones
- Amelia WorkmanAnita Tucker
- Adriane LenoxMiss Annie
- Mark GessnerJerry
Recommendations
- 80
The Hollywood Reporter
It’s a quiet drama despite its characters’ many volatile arguments. Most of all, it’s a moving character portrait of a complicated woman who makes good and bad decisions but is motivated solely by the desire to create a better life for herself and the people she loves. - 80
Variety
Rockwell uses the full range of cinematic expressivity to turn a small, often tragic story of raw deals and rash decisions into an admiring portrait of survivorship, determination and resourcefulness. - 75
IndieWire
Rockwell’s direction is sophisticated and visually imaginative even as the movie could benefit from a tighter edit around its New York cast of characters and the rapidly changing city in the hands of mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg. - 70
Screen Daily
Rockwell respects her audience enough to trust that we’ll be invested in Inez and Terry’s odyssey because of the nuanced performances. - 67
The Playlist
While A Thousand and One is a breathtakingly beautiful portrait of Black womanhood and is thoughtfully political, the character beats heave with a noticeable unevenness. The fascinating parts rarely add up to a satisfying interpersonal whole. - 60
The Guardian
There are many things working well in Rockwell’s debut, Taylor’s performance chief among them, but the end result doesn’t match her character’s formidable strength.
