As the Sundance Film Festival winds down to a close, here’s a stark reminder that some of the films that premiered could be waiting a long time until they get released. Such is the case for “Imperial Dreams,” which debuted in Park City way back in 2014 (and picked up an Audience Award too), but good things come to those who wait, as it’s getting ready to go around the globe thanks to Netflix.
The streaming service has picked up the indie drama starring John Boyega (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens“), playing a young man in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, looking to put his gangster life behind him. If that doesn’t sound promising enough, the film also features a score by the always eclectic Flying Lotus. Here’s the official synopsis:
Bambi (John Boyega) wants to publish his credos and chronicles and start his career the way any other normal young writer would. For Bambi, however, normal is the quandary. “Normal” means returning to Watts, Los Angeles, after a 28-month jail stint to find his young son playing next to his strung-out grandmother. It’s normal for the patriarch of his family to offer Bambi pills, guns, and a drug-running job as a way to welcome him home. A normal visit from his cousin involves Bambi and son performing minor surgery to extract a bullet from his arm. Bambi meets this surreal, ghetto normal with equanimity, but he knows life can’t be “normal” like this for long.
“Imperial Dreams” arrives on Netflix on February 3rd.
