''Alice'' is a 2022 American crime thriller film, written and directed by Krystin Ver Linden, in her directorial debut. The film stars Keke Palmer, Jonny Lee Miller,

Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

, Gaius Charles, and Alicia Witt. ''Alice'' had its world premiere at the

2022 Sundance Film Festival The 2022 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 20 to 30, 2022. Due to COVID-19 pandemic protocol it was to have been a hybrid festival, but on January 5, 2022 it was announced that the in-person components would be scrapped in favor o ...

on January 23, 2022, and was released in the United States on March 18, 2022, by Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment. The film received negative reviews from critics.

Plot

Alice is enslaved on a 19th-century plantation in Georgia, owned by Paul Bennet. Attempting to escape, she runs through a vast forest and emerges onto a Georgia highway in 1973. She meets Frank, a truck driver who helps her adjust to the truth of the time period, and that she has been misled her whole life. After reading some books explaining when and how all other plantations ended, and tracking down Rachel, the ex-wife of her "owner", she is able to convince Frank about the plantation. Inspired by Pam Grier's character in the film '' Coffy'', she persuades Frank to go back with her, so that she can exact revenge on Bennet.

Cast

* Keke Palmer as Alice * Jonny Lee Miller as Paul Bennett *

as Frank * Gaius Charles as Joseph * Natasha Yvette Williams as Ruth * Alicia Witt as Rachel * Madelon Curtis as Mrs Bennett * Jaxon Goldenberg as Daniel Bennett * Kenneth Farmer as Moses * Natasha Williams as Ruth * Craig Stark as Aaron

Production

In September 2019, it was announced Krystin Ver Linden would direct and write the film. The publicity for the film states that it is "inspired by the true events of a woman of servitude in 1800s Georgia, who escapes the 55-acre confines of her captor to discover the shocking reality that exists beyond the tree line ... it's 1973." Elements of the film's background are loosely based on the narrative of

Mae Louise Miller Mae Louise Miller (born Mae Louise Wall; August 24, 19432014) was an American woman who was kept in modern-day slavery, known as peonage, near Gillsburg, Mississippi and Kentwood, Louisiana until her family achieved freedom in early 1961. Mae's ...

, who escaped from slavery in 1961. In June 2020, Keke Palmer,

, Jonny Lee Miller, and Sinqua Walls joined the cast of the film, with Palmer also serving as an executive producer. In November 2020, Gaius Charles and Alicia Witt joined the cast of the film. Principal photography began in October 2020 in Savannah, Georgia.

Release

It had its premiere at the

on January 23, 2022. Prior to, Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film.

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, the film earned $173,624 from 169 theaters in its opening weekend.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 29% of 70 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The website's consensus reads, "''Alice's'' well-intentioned attempt to reckon with racism sadly misses the mark on multiple levels, although Keke Palmer's performance remains a consistent bright spot." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

References

External links

* {{IMDb title 2022 films 2022 directorial debut films 2022 crime thriller films 2022 independent films American crime thriller films Blaxploitation films Films about American slavery Films set in 1973 Films set in Georgia (U.S. state) Films shot in Savannah, Georgia 2020s English-language films 2020s American films