Powerful imagery while the drama keeps its distance.

I wasn't sure how I felt about the film but it certainly gets better as it goes along. The first third was much too listless, kind of just killing time. It starts to find its magic in the middle third when they're all together, then delivers on the emotion and resonance tenfold in the last third.
There's something reflective in the way the film is about the responsibility of powerful black voices and how that's coming from Regina King that's…
Its quirkiness (read: contrivances) may put off some, but this was totally my jam. Exuberant, colourful, and full of equals parts heart and anguish. It may be a case study for an invented situation, but the writing is creative and the cast do a terrific job of humanizing their characters.