Cronies

Two childhood friends with polar opposing personalities still live in the same neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Louis has a little daughter, so he's trying to settle down and plan for the future. Proud of his bad reparation, Jack is still getting into trouble. They're tight despite their differences, linked by the tragic events of the past. Meanwhile, Louis's new friend, the jealous and suspicious Andrew, enters the dynamic. Jack does not trust the "whitey", but for lack of anything better to do he joins the two in cruising the city. That's the start of a lazy day and night of smoking, flirting and gambling. On the way, they learn about each other and shed new light on their relationships. In this promising debut, young director Michael Larnell balances comedy and drama while skillfully portraying ghetto life. His mostly black-and-white film is a brilliant chronicle of growing up fast and recalls the early films of Cronies' producer Spike Lee, but also Avy DuVernay's Middle of Nowhere or Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale. IndieWire found that Cronies "has terrific energy. (…) It's an interesting visual conceit, and surely makes the film stand out."