''North Starr'' is a 2008 film directed by

Matthew Stanton Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * Matthew (ship), ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * Matthew (album), ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm c ...

. It was scheduled to compete in the Dramatic Competition at the

2008 Sundance Film Festival The 2008 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 17, 2008 to January 27 in Park City, Utah. It was the 24th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. The opening night film was ''In Bruges'' and the closing night film was '' CSNY Déjà Vu''. Films ...

Plot

A young

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

man living in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

witnesses his best friend's brutal murder, then flees to the small, racially intolerant, backwater town of Trublin.

Cast

* Jerome Hawkins as Demetrious *

as Darring Clements * Chris Sullivan as Sprit * Isaac Lamb as T.J. * Zack Johnson as Justin * Wayne Campbell as Wayne

Reception

Justin Chang Justin Choigee Chang (born January 3, 1983) is an American film critic and columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times''. He previously worked for ''Variety''. Early life Justin Chang graduated from the University of Southern California in 2004. Chan ...

of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' described the movie as "a messy Texas stew of racial tension, personal liberation and murder-in-retrospect detective story." He praised the likable characters but criticized the "self-indulgent" first-time director's work. James Greenberg of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' called it "long on passion and somewhat lacking in execution," stressing the lack of experience on the part of the producer-director-writer-actor Matthew Stanton.

References

External links

* American drama films 2008 films 2008 drama films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{2000s-drama-film-stub