Julius Onah’s “Luce” Might Be Getting An Oscar-Nomination

Nigerian-American filmmaker, Julius Onah’s thriller, “Luce”, might be getting some Oscar love with the kind of reviews it has been getting lately.

The gripping psychological thriller is a new favourite of critics, getting nothing but love as it goes, leading many to believe that Chinonye Chukwu’s acclaimed drama, “Clemency” is not the only Nigerian-directed film that could get some Oscar love next year.

“Luce” follows the story of Luce Edgar (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a model student that pleases his parents (Naomi Watts and Tim Roth), who adopted him from a war-torn African nation. Despite the love they show him, they still harbour concerns that he might be haunted by a violent trauma from his past.
When Luce’s teacher, Harriet (Oscar-winning actress, Octavia Spencer) discovers the well-researched paper he wrote about political violence, she begins to investigate, but her discoveries set off a chain of events that will change everyone’s lives forever.

Rated 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, critics have almost exclusively good things to say about the movie. Commenting on Onah’s direction, Katie Walsh of Tribune News Service, who gave the film a 4 out of 4 stars, said; “Onah crafts a film where we never know who or what to believe. And though we crave the truth, much like the real world, it’s never freely given.”

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com says; “It is a deeply smart film about race and expectations. And it’s got one of the best ensemble performances of Sundance 2019. This is one to watch for.”

The performances in the movie are getting lots of love too, with Oscar-winning actress, Octavia Spencer’s performance already generating a ton of early Oscar buzz. Carla Renata of The Curvy Film Critic says; “A psychological thriller layered with thought-provoking conversations regarding perfection pressure, white privilege, stigma of mental illness with African-Americans and brilliance from Octavia Spencer.”

Like Chinonye Chukwu’s Clemency, Luce was also picked up for distribution by NEON — the same distributor behind 2018 Oscar darling, “I, Tonya”.
The movie premiered August 2.

Watch the trailer below;