Title: Hallelujah
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Victor Gabriel
Starring: Bruce Lemon, Richard Nevels, Stephen Laroy Thomas
Runtime: 14 mins

What It Is: Hallelujah (Thomas) is a 13-year-old kid. He lives with his uncle’s Paper (Lemon) and Chetty (Nevels) after something happened to his mother and father. Hallelujah is a strange boy. One who doesn’t act in a way his uncles are accustomed to seeing. Now, as his guardians, it’s up to Chetty and Paper to figure out not just how to deal with this unique boy but who they are as men in a world that maybe doesn’t value them as much as it should.

What We Think: This is absolutely a stupendous short. As mentioned in my interview with director Victor Gabriel I found the exploration of its themes to be so well done. It’s a mirror of black masculinity. Its fragility and the way we view black men in America. Whether that’s purposeful or accidental I think Gabriel’s opinion of this is something for us to pay attention to. What the short is saying is so relevant. This is a short I think everyone needs to check out. Not only are there some fantastic cinematic moments within the short but it’s well-written and funny. Seek this one out!

Our Grade: A, Bring the tissue. There’s some high emotions going on in this. Touching on the subjects it discusses make it so important to not only the world we live in now but to the entire experience of being a human. To see men of color discuss issues relevant to men of color is always something I want to see. To learn and to experience through their eyes is such an amazing gift. The lens we as humans are given is not something we should take advantage of. Seek out these stories. Watch them, enjoy them, digest them. They’re worth it.