Because of how well-made it is, I believe that Morningside is 10/10. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have thoughts.
This cast is a true representation of how talented and powerful the Canadian film industry is. Olunike Adeliyi (Village Keeper) once again shows how much of a dynamic performer that she is. This woman has range and I am very excited to see how her career evolves. Orville Cummings (Star Trek: Discovery) and Lovell Adams-Gray (Power: Book II) give Shakespearean performances as the two villains of this film, Gray played his role so well that I suspect he might be entered into the Tyler Perry hall of fictional characters that viewers cannot forgive (Mike from Why Did I Get Married, Charles from Diary Of A Mad Black Woman.) KiKi Hammill (Ginny & Georgia, Brown Girl Begins) is adorable as Amber. She stole the show for me. Watching a black girl on-screen with so much agency and freedom to be herself and speak openly with her mother made me feel so much joy because it’s not a privilege often represented on screen for black girls. The relationship between her and Fi (Adeliyi) was beautiful to watch.
The choice to film close up to characters in scenes with quick camera pans that followed their movements or following characters from one room to the next was brilliant. It made telling these three interconnected stories feel as if I was a part of their lives while also creating a growing sense of dread – the same dread these people feel daily, knowing that violence is always around the corner. Director Ron Dias killed it.
Even so, Morningside left me split. On one hand, I am extremely impressed with the quality of the performances and the pacing of this narrative. On the other, I am disappointed at the lack of accountability placed on the true villains of this story.
I fell in love with all of these characters because of how well they were written. But, once their lives all connected, the story fell apart for me because it was not clear what co-writers Joanne Jansen and Ron Dias were trying to say. As a viewer not native to Scarborough, I am not sure what I am meant to take away from the ending. With its bleak and heartbreaking finale, there was no solution provided.
It reminded me of the dillema Jordan Peele had when deciding on how to end Get Out. One ending resulted in him being framed for the murder of Rose and her family and going to jail. The other ending was the one we saw, where his friend comes to his rescue at the end and he escapes blame. Peele made this decision because he knew the audiences would feel hopeless and unsure what to take away from his original choice. By choosing the second option, audiences were able to understand the message of how insidious racism is and how black bodies are still the subject of ownership in a racist’s mind, while also giving his black character agency to not become another victim of anti-black brutality.
The ending of Morningside hesitates to call out the true villains in its story and that is the men. To start, they are unforgivably sexist. The only exception is Carl (Leighton Alexander Williams) who never utters a negative thing about the female characters in the film. I would say Josh (Alex Mallari Jr) was decent, but he hung around two men who casually talked about women as if they were sub-human and never corrected it. As a result, it was very hard to see them as equal victims to the circumstances of this community. Breeze (Orville Cummings) and Jay (Lovell Adams-Gray) are worse. Jay has dreams of running a business, saving money and moving to Jamaica with his girlfriend, Shanice (Kiana Madeira). He also cheats on her regularly, emotionally abuses her, disrespects her boundaries and takes advantage of her hospitality. Oh- did I mention he lives with her because he’s broke and homeless? This man’s head is in the clouds. He’s all talk and frequently spends time with his emotionally unstable brother, Breeze. Breeze is at the centre of all the madness that ensues; after picking a fight with his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend they begin a battle of who is gonna kill who first because that would be the better option over therapy or just letting it go. Breeze is the source of all this madness and so are the two pathetic, male cops who don’t seem to value any of their POC lives.
But the ending leaves us with a vague monologue that generalizes what happened. Of course, Fi does not know the details of what ensues, but it’s established that she is very aware of the challenges in her community throughout the film. It felt unnatural to me as a viewer to see her not call for the government to get tougher on crime and to hold the police and paramedics accountable for their lack of response to the tragedy. Or do Dias and Jansen see Breeze and Jay as equal victims in their community?
I would have been happy with either ending to accompany the unfortunate outcome, but all I was left with was hopelessness and no idea on how to move forward. Perhaps that is the reality that Dias and Jansen wanted to give us so that, as viewers, we can understand what members of these communities deal with on the daily. Perhaps they wanted to give an honest portrayal of life in Scarborough, so real-life members could feel seen and represented. If that is the case, then I eat my words because they did an amazing job. But ultimately, I don’t know, I just felt sad and unsatisfied by the film’s lack of clarity.
Regardless, the movie is still a must-watch and Dias and Jansen should be put on your watch list. These two rising stars, among the incredible cast, are the reason that Canadian cinema is starting to get the recognition and respect it deserves. Support the film, support their art and champion for them as they continue to put some respect on Scarborough and Toronto.
Morningside is in theatres now.
