With its vast line-up of films, there’s bound to be a few stand-outs that slip through the cracks at Sundance. One we didn’t get to check out this year was the Cleveland-set, teen-centered drama The Land, but after a trailer debut, it definitely has our attention. With a soundtrack featuring MGK, Erykah Badu, Kanye West, French Montana, Pusha T, Jeremih, and Nas (who also serves as producer), it looks to be a vibrantly shot exploration of skateboarding and danger on the streets.
“I wanted to showcase the reality of urban youth today: For the audience to witness that those we consider thugs or criminals are often really just kids, and could be a brother, a cousin, or the kid down the street from you,” director Steve Caple Jr. told Variety.
Check out the trailer below for the film starring Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Erykah Badu, Moises Arias, Rafi Gavron, Ezri Walker, Machine Gun Kelly, and Robert Hunter:
Update: See the full-length trailer and poster.
Teenage buddies Cisco, Boobie, Junior, and Patty Cake skateboard the streets of Cleveland, Ohio, dreaming of getting discovered by a sponsor and skating their way out of poverty. That is until the boys discover a bag full of pills in the back of a stolen car. Cisco’s entrepreneurial instincts take over, and in a flash their lives get better. But no one counted on having to come face to face with the cold, calculating, and notorious drug queenpin, “Momma,” who runs the toughest gang in town.
Director Steven Caple Jr. makes an auspicious debut with this atmospheric film filled with pitch-perfect performances by an ensemble cast, including newcomer Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Erykah Badu, Machine Gun Kelly, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Linda Emond, who is bone chilling as Momma. More than a crime drama, THE LAND is a beautifully rendered story about friendship, values, and what it means for disaffected youth to come of age on the streets of Cleveland.
The Land opens on July 29th in theaters and VOD via IFC Films.