Film Forum

(1998, Maya Angelou) “Alfre Woodard plays Loretta, an undereducated mother-of-two who's falling apart under the pressure of inner-city life. Loretta, a near alcoholic, can't get a job and can't cope with her kids, 12-year-old Thomas (Mpho Koaho) and three-year-old Tracy, who's autistic. To keep her from succumbing to the lure of the local crackhouse, Loretta's mother (Mary Alice) packs Loretta and the children off to live with Uncle Earl (Al Freeman, Jr.), who lives in the Mississippi Delta. For Earl, family is everything. Not only does he welcome Loretta and her kids; he's also trying to lure his son (Wesley Snipes), the son's snobby wife, and their spoiled brats back from Atlanta.” – Amy Taubin, The Village Voice. With Esther Rolle, Loretta Devine. 35mm. Approx. 112 min.