Obituary of Tunde Johnson, The

By: gbelly

By: Amos Lassen

"The Obituary of Tunde Johnson"

Finding Identity

Amos Lassen

"TheObituary of Tunde Johnson"is about Tunde, a young man struggling to find his identity. Writer Stanley Kalu and director Ali LeRoi use the idea of a single day repeating itself for gay, African-American teen (Steven Silver).

Ade (Sammi Rotibi) tells his son Tunde, who's the lone black kid at St. Ambrose Prep that his family does not die ordinary deaths. The film is a comment on political and social issues that brings commentary into the narrative and lets the viewer figure out the rest.

Tunde was born in Nigeria, but hasn't had any trouble fitting in with his classmates. He is thought to be a smart young man with a bright future. His best friend since grade school is Marley (Nicola Peltz), who dreams of the star of the lacrosse team, Soren (Spencer Neville), who also happens to be Tunde's secret lover. On Soren's birthday everyone goes to his house for a party. Tunde has a secret that could have devastating consequences on his relationships, if he ever lives long enough to experience the aftermath. Tunde is pushed to define what he wants from life regardless of what anyone else tries to impose upon him. He knows that he is running out of time and his problem is time. On May 28 he's murdered by trigger-happy police. In fact, he dies several times

and it's at the hands of police officers. What at first seems like a nightmarish becomes an exposé of the numerous ways a young, unarmed black man can be murdered by authorities. In spite of Tunde changing elements of each day, he is nonetheless confronted by police and subsequently killed without cause. Sometimes he's alone, other times he's with friends; sometimes he's driving, other times he's walking or just hanging out. What is consistent is the police's reaction to his existence.

Tunde never changes who he is and, actually, he becomes more confident with who he is. Nothing is all good or all bad in this look at adolescence. From first love to heartbreak, best friends forever or best worst enemy, life is filled with emotions. Each day presents another opportunity to take a different approach and numerous chances to make the right or wrong choice. The impact of Tunde's multiple deaths are a heavy burden on him and the audience even though we know that we will return from the dead.

Soren is Tunde's lover and a completely closeted play thing for Tunde's best friend Marley This complication sets up an interesting love triangle that both evolves and dissolves depending on Tunde's nightly demise.

Silver is amazing as Tunde who eats Xanax like candy. We see a great deal about black men and the way they are treated by white police officers.