in the hands of director Kamilah Forbes, the HBO version is a gorgeously sorrowful prose poem about being Black in America, then and now. It hits you in your head but mostly your heart
haunting and poetic, "Between the World and Me" translates Ta-Nehisi Coates' book and the subsequent stage presentation into an HBO special that loses none of its power, a feat made all the more remarkable by its production amid the coronavirus outbreak
directed by Kamilah Forbes of New York City's Apollo Theater, with archival montages and gorgeous cinematography by Bradford Young, this visual version of "Between the World and Me" is as dense and vast as the book that inspired it
closer to a visual essay than a documentary, with actors in quarantine reciting Coates' words while often looking straight into the camera, the 79-minute film further enlivens source material that already feels written in blood
a sharp, if visually limited, social document; "Between the World and Me" doesn't necessarily offer the most incisive social commentary, but as a document of our contemporary political moment, its force is undeniable
"Between The World And Me" is mostly even and well-paced, though some moments stay with you longer than others. All the while, Coates' pragmatic and realistic view of the world is woven throughout the piece
"Between the World and Me" is as much a living, evolving document; All of it combines to bring Coates's words up off the page with startlingly precise intent; There's as much to look at as there is to hear; the words and images meld almost seamlessly
"Between the World and Me" is an unmissable television and streaming event that cuts directly to a raw nerve of inequality and injustice. It can not be written off as a star-studded performance piece. It must be seen, heard, and understood in full
by David Robb [Slant Magazine ]
by Andrew Parker [The Gate ]
