Review of “Rob Peace” – Chiwetel Ejiofor tells a captivating true story

author Jeff Hobbs wrote about his roommate at Yale University, with whom he spent four years, in the 2014 biography The short and tragic life of Robert Peace: A brilliant young man who left Newark to attend an Ivy League universityIt tells the true story of an extraordinary student who, against all odds, left his humble origins behind and yet could not resist the attraction of a certain destiny to which the book’s title alludes. The bestseller now serves as the basis for Chiwetel Ejiofor’s second directorial project, Rob Peacebased on the 2019 Netflix film, also based on true life The boy who caught the wind. Much of the praise and criticism that his directorial debut garnered still holds true. He is adept at directing actors, but his storytelling is banal.

A politically charged opening montage showing images of police brutality and a neighborhood in flames, all accompanied by “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, signals the scope and ambition of the film. While it delivers on that premise, it does so with the approach of an after-school special.

What is “Rob Peace” about?

We meet for the first time Robert DeShaun Peace (Jelani Dacres) at the age of 7 in East Orange, NJ, 1980. His father, Skeet Douglas (Ejiofor), a ne’er-do-well and manipulative artist, accuses him of farting and throws him out of the car. But it turns out that the old man has to get a gun from the glove compartment and simply doesn’t want the boy there. See, Skeet can be both considerate and traumatic for his son. In the very next scene, he is sentenced to life imprisonment for double murder.

DeShaun’s mother, Jackie (Mary J. Blige), sees in his brilliant mind a ticket out of the hellhole that is Newark and decides to send him to St. Benedict’s Prep School in three years. She tells him to be called Robert so as not to be associated with his father, a convict; everyone in the area knows that Skeet has a son named DeShaun. Even when the teenage Rob (Chance K. Smith) has good academic records and is an excellent water polo player. He is busy securing Skeet’s release. He works several jobs alongside school to raise money for a fundraiser. As Rob (Jay Will) leaves Newark, Skeet remains present in his thoughts, even as he worries that his roommate will accidentally answer a collect call from prison. Skeet grows increasingly impatient, and inadvertently leads Rob to resort to desperate measures – selling weed on campus – to raise money for the lawyer’s fees.

The story reveals the structural racism that manifests itself in botched legal and economic systems and can crushingly oppress a people. While the show is largely sympathetic to the characters’ ordeal, it also holds them accountable for their choices. Skeet is portrayed as selfish, putting his own freedom above Rob’s future. Rob prefers to cut corners even when there are legitimate alternatives to raise money.

“Rob Peace” proves that Ejiofor is an actor-director

Ejiofor’s strength as a filmmaker clearly lies in his collaboration with the actorsfrom young actors of various ages playing Rob to the outstanding supporting cast, including Mare Winningham as a professor at Yale. Dialogue, peppered with technical terms from molecular biophysics and biochemistry, is delivered with the cadence of casual conversation, without a trace of inauthenticity. Even the supporting roles are handled with unusual care, which really cements Ejiofor’s reputation as a director of actors.

That means, Will’s voiceover narration is inexplicably static and emotionless throughout. It shows that Ejiofor has trouble with storytelling. The actor turned screenwriter and director is very receptive to cultural trends, but lacks the finesse to execute them. The voiceover seems reminiscent of Scorsese, but neither Ejiofor’s direction nor Will’s delivery have the necessary momentum.

Ejiofor’s thoughtful observations on Rob’s circumstances are scattered throughout. Anecdotes of microaggressions show how his presence as a budding scholar is immediately questioned upon his arrival at Yale. At one point, as he approaches the campus security entrance, he asks a fellow student who has just unlocked the gate to hold it open for him. Usually this is a simple favor that doesn’t require much thought, in this case Rob’s ID is requested. Likewise, a graduate student who happens to find Rob doing research in a lab wants him to tell him what he wants. Conversely, no one bats an eyelid when Rob takes on the role of resident drug dealer. Rob’s girlfriend Naya (Camila Cabello), points to this unconscious bias that prevails on campus, the delineation of acceptable roles and stereotypes for black people. She is of course absolutely right, but one wishes that this did not have to be explained to the audience so clumsily.

“Rob Peace” seems like a PowerPoint presentation of a film

Most of the time, Ejiofor summarizes the unfolding events in bullet points rather than tying them together into a dramatic story arc. Structurally, the narrative is comparable to a PowerPoint presentation. The film covers Rob’s childhood in Newark to his arrival in New Haven, Connecticut, in exactly half an hour. Exactly one hour later, he begins his third year at Yale. Storytelling should not be reduced to such a memorized formula.

The biggest mistake is probably Jeff Russos sentimental score. The film’s title was deliberately designed to remove the spoilery parts of Hobbs’ book title, but Russo’s score essentially serves the same function. The music conveys a general sense of dread. It is unbearable humbug; rather than paying respect to the real people or subtly hinting at the tragedy, it mostly tries to intimidate the audience into feeling bad. The end result is unbearably predictable and didactic. Even the occasional Layzie Bone and Ludacris interludes on the soundtrack don’t liven things up in the slightest. Yes, Peace has had a rough life, but he’s also had hard-fought victories that are worth celebrating.

REVIEW

Rob Peace

At its core, “Rob Peace” contains elements of a gripping true story, but the adaptation does not do them justice.

Per

• The cast does a good job of bringing the story to life, and Ejiofor proves himself to be an excellent actor-director.
• The film offers astute insights into the cultural forces behind the real events.

Disadvantages

• The experience is characterized by clumsy film production.
• A sentimental soundtrack does not do the film any good and ultimately makes the whole thing seem too didactic.
• Everything is too predictable, reducing a complicated life with many rewarding moments to a monotonous film.

Rob Peace hits theaters in the U.S. on August 16. Click below to see showtimes in your area.

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