One of the most exciting directorial debuts of the year, Martine Syms’ The African Desperate is an electrifying ride through the day in the life of Palace Bryant (Diamond Stingily). An MFA grad on her final day of academia, she navigates saying goodbye to some genuine friends and some not-so-genuine annoying teachers and colleagues, as well contemplating what is next. Following a New Directors/New Films premiere earlier this year, the film was picked up by MUBI for a theatrical release next month, followed by a streaming release. We recently featured it on our fall preview and now the first trailer has arrived.
Leonardo Goi said in his ND/NF review, “Rollicking, piercing, and wildly entertaining, The African Desperate is pitched along the border that runs between being excited for one’s future and terrified about not knowing what it’ll look like. A 24-hour chronicle of Palace’s graduation day (and night), Syms’ first feature is a close-up study of a young woman who must suddenly confront that peculiar spleen that comes from reaching the end of a tortuous journey and being a little unsure what that means for her life. If Palace’s aimlessness makes The African Desperate feel somewhat universal, the vividness with which Syms captures her bohemian milieu turns it into a boisterous Portrait of the Artist as a Young Black Woman—one struggling to build her voice over and against the academic bubble she’s finally free to leave.”
See the trailer below.
The African Desperate opens on September 16 in limited release and will expand.