-Allison McCulloch

To be completely honest, I hated the beginning of Alice, which was gratuitous and disempowering. When Alice “travels” to 1973, it’s the opposite. Based on writer/director Krystin Ver Linden’s research, the credits specify that this film is for those who remain oppressed worldwide and for those that remained enslaved throughout the Twentieth Century.

Lead actress Keke Palmer did a great job. I thought some of her reactions to the modern world were overkill like fainting and freaking out when she sees a truck, but that’s mainly the script’s fault. Some of the musical cues felt random. However, I loved Palmer’s fro and her character’s confrontation with the people who exploited her.

There were some minor inconsistencies with Alice’s character: she said she couldn’t write, but she was able to read. Also, she stands up for herself and then watches Coffy later. I think that maybe it would be funny/cool if she watched Coffy and then found the strength to be badass.

All in all, it was an exploration of many different accounts rolled into one. Ver Linden did specify that the articles she came across were mainly about people enslaved until the 1960s, but she wanted to set the film in the 1970s.

Rating: 6/10

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