FilmSnobReviews

Title: Emergency
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Carey Williams
Starring: RJ Cyler, Donald Elise Watkins, Sabrina Carpenter
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins

What It Is: College friends and roommates Sean (Cyler) and Kunle (Watkins) are prepping for an epic night of partying. When they return to their house they find an unconscious girl (Maddie Nichols) in a pool of her own vomit. Afraid of the repercussions from police that could be implied by two black men having an unconscious little white girl in their house they decide to drive her to the emergency room themselves. What ensues is a potentially dangerous night of mistaken intentions.

What We Think: This one is based on a 2018 short of the same name. The messages are obvious but I don’t find that to be a bad thing here. Where the film truly shines is in the relationship between the characters. Cyler and Watkins have excellent chemistry. This script written by KD Davila is smart and funny and totally earns each and every moment of it’s runtime. Some will take the task the ending dragging just a bit but I found it to be a fitting end to a film that works its way nicely to its conclusion. Sebastian Chacon is a comedic standout as the fanny pack rocking, granola-loving Carlos.

Our Grade: A-, One of the festivals highlights. This film packs a ton into its runtime. Highly funny and possessing a thrilling middle third. This is one film I highlighted in our preview of the festival in episode 8 of our podcast. You should totally check that out to the right of this review. Make sure you watch this one whenever it becomes available. Amazon Studios purchased the rights to this one so I’ll assume this will be on their streaming platform by the years end. Perhaps once it finishes its festival run.