Film festivals are largely known as the place where well-known actors and filmmakers debut their latest projects and hope to earn enough buzz to start a distribution bidding war and/or get some awards season discussion. But what is largely forgotten at these events is that a festival can also be where a young, up-and-coming filmmaker can surprise everyone and debut a film that is just as good, if not better, than what their A-list counterparts can make. That happens to be the case with the film, “Burning Cane.”
And as seen in the trailer, “Burning Cane” looks is an incredible family drama that showcases some great performances and a touching, emotional story. All the makings of a great time at the theater. However, what makes “Burning Cane” stand out amongst the rest is just how amazing the film is, especially when juxtaposed by the filmmaker’s inexperience. That is by no means meant as disrespect to writer-director Phillip Youmans, who is clearly a talented filmmaker. That being said, the shocking part about his first film isn’t the content, but instead how young the helmer is — clocking in at only 19-years-old (17 when the film was produced), making him the youngest filmmaker to screen at Tribeca.
With that knowledge, watching “Burning Cane” is bittersweet. It’s sweet because it’s always a joy to see a film created by someone with such amazing talent get the recognition it deserves. However, the fact that Youmans is barely an adult just makes the audience (honestly, probably just me…) re-evaluate their lives and figure out why they spent their teen years goofing off with friends and acting like a real a-hole, when they could have been out there creating art. But I digress. Ultimately, you can’t help but applaud Youmans, even if he does make the middle-aged folks feel like complete failures.
The film stars Wendell Pierce, Karen Kaia Livers, and Dominique McClellan. As mentioned, “Burning Cane” is the directorial debut for Youmans. The film debuted at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, where it took home the coveted Best Narrative Feature prize (the first time an African-American won the honor), as well as Best Actor and Best Cinematography. Not too shabby for a teenager making his debut, huh?
We saw the film at Tribeca this year, and in our review, we said, “’Burning Cane’ would be an impressive debut at any age, showing a distinct style, a suggestive eye for setting and detail, and an admirable willingness to experiment.”
“Burning Cane” arrives in theaters on October 25 before hitting Netflix on November 6.
Here’s the synopsis:
A worried mother (Karen Kaia Livers) caring for her mange-ridden family dog; her unemployed, alcoholic son (Dominique McClellan) and the wife (Emyri Crutchfield) who supports him; and a preacher (Wendell Pierce) whose wife’s recent death has pushed him toward the bottle are a few of the characters who make up the beautifully rich world of Southeastern Louisiana in Phillip Youmans’ extraordinary debut feature, Burning Cane.
