“Selah and the Spades”, which debuted at the 2019 Sundance film festival, was released on Amazon Prime on April 17. “Selah and the Spades” won the Best Feature Narrative Award at the Blackstar film festival due to its new twist on a classic idea. Photo fair use of theGrio
“Selah and the Spades” is the perfect film for those who want to diverge from mainstream movies and try a completely new style of storytelling.
“Selah and the Spades”, a movie that originally premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, became available to a wider audience for the first time on April 17 as an Amazon Prime exclusive.
The story revolves around Selah Summers (Lovie Simone), the leader of the Spades, one of five secret social factions that rule her school. She mentors newcomer Paloma Davis (Celeste O’Connor) to replace her when she graduates, all while struggling to maintain power amongst administrative suspicion and tension between factions.
The first thing viewers will notice is the multitude of interesting camera angles that director Tayarisha Poe chose to include. The distinctive shots, such as looking down from the top of a spiraling staircase, will keep viewers captivated, even when there is not much action happening on screen.
All of the dialogue in the film genuinely represents modern teenage conversations. The awkward pauses and the slang used is reminiscent of an exchange you would hear in the halls of Clarke Central High School.
The character of Selah is very well balanced throughout the entire movie. She is shown to have multiple sides, from the powerful leader she is portrayed as at school, to a normal teenage girl being pressured to choose a college.
The movie is rated R due to language and the heavy use of drugs and alcohol throughout the movie. While these are all necessary to the plot of the movie, viewers should use discretion if they are uncomfortable with such things.
Fans of movies like “Heathers” and “Mean Girls” will immediately see similarities in the powerful groups ruling the school. However, “Selah and the Spades” takes that classic idea and puts a brand new twist to it through its unique characters.
Though it may never be a mainstream classic, this film is perfect for those who are looking for something different than a typical high school movie.
