Groups. Circles. Cliques. No matter the name, many teenagers crave acceptance amongst like-minded peers and need to feel part of a second family when they set foot in school every day. Otherwise, the experience gets that much more lonely, and protection from potential bullies is nil. Standing on top of the food chain of these groups, circles, and cliques is the “in-crowd.” Its influence is undeniable. “Selah and the Spades” is a new film about the leader of one particular in-crowd and her reluctance to relinquish control.
The project marks the feature film debut of writer-director Tayarisha Poe. She also serves as one of the movie’s producers along with Lauren McBride, Lucas Joaquin and Drew Houpt. One of the latter’s previous collaborations was with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu on 2014’s “Birdman,” another project that saw its main character struggling to let go of the limelight.
Lovie Simone (“Greenleaf”) portrays the titular leader, with Jharrel Jerome (“Moonlight”) playing her second-in-command and Celeste O’Connor (“Irreplaceable You”) as the one groomed to take her place. All three are joined by veteran actor Jesse Williams (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and veteran actress Gina Torres (“Suits”).
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Here’s the synopsis:
In the closed world of an elite Pennsylvania boarding school, Haldwell, the student body is run by five factions. Seventeen-year-old Selah Summers (Lovie Simone) runs the most dominant group, the Spades, with unshakable poise, as they cater to the most classic of vices and supply students with coveted, illegal alcohol and pills. Tensions between the factions escalate, and when Selah’s best friend/right hand Maxxie (MOONLIGHT’s Jharrel Jerome) becomes distracted by a new love, Selah takes on a protégée, enamored sophomore Paloma (Celeste O’Connor), to whom she imparts her wisdom on ruling the school. But with graduation looming and Paloma proving an impressively quick study, Selah’s fears turn sinister as she grapples with losing the control by which she defines herself.
“Selah and the Spades”—distributed by Amazon Studios—is set to be released on April 17. Check out the trailer below and believe that the allure of authority can be quite intoxicating once you’ve gotten a taste.