As the “peak TV” wave begins to crest, artists are again realizing that not every book needs adaptation as a miniseries. There’s value in the concision and prioritization forced by the feature format. But Chiwetel Ejiofor’s sophomore outing as a film director, a translation of the biography “The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace,” serves as a reminder that some stories need the bigger canvas allowed by episodic storytelling. His “Rob Peace” tries to stuff so much in under two hours that it does its subject a disservice.
READ MORE: Sundance 2024: The 23 Most Anticipated Movies To Watch
This sprawling yet all too succinct tale of Robert Peace (played by three actors, most prominently by Jay Will as a young adult) demands more space than Ejiofor grants it. His subject leads such an undeniably fascinating, multifaceted existence that each stage warrants more unpacking rather than simply bleeding into the next life stage. Born in 1980s inner-city Newark, the young years of Rob find their definitional event in the all-too-common occurrence of a family member brushing with the criminal justice system. His father, Skeet (Ejiofor), faces wrongful imprisonment for double homicide, prompting Rob’s mother, Jackie (Mary J. Blige), to take aggressive steps to ensure her son’s life does not become defined by the “son of a convict” label.
From an early age, Rob demonstrates a borderline savant-like aptitude for math and science. Jackie moves him into a private school system focused on holistic education, where he excels and punches his ticket to Yale. As Rob operates at the intersection of booksmart and social savvy, he thrives in the Ivy League environment both as an academic and an athlete.
He integrates wildly different groups into cohesive social gatherings with his gregarious personality, just as his biochemistry professor sees his unconventional background as bringing the potential for innovative thinking in research. Yet serving as a bridge between different communities is a feat he can only pull off by flattening himself and his past. Rob hides the private battle he wages on behalf of Skeet’s release from custody from his friends.
Rob may deny race relations have any bearing on his life, positively or negatively, as he insists to his girlfriend Naya (Camila Cabello) and other peers. But the insidious impact begins slowly transforming his American dream into a tragedy. Like many denied equal access to economic opportunity, Rob applies his laboratory prowess to growing high-quality marijuana that he can then sell to keep pace with the growing demands. Ejiofor posits this development not as rejecting his progress nor succumbing to his past. It’s a fulfillment and synthesis of his skills and experiences.
By the time “Rob Peace” takes its final turn with yet another act for the protagonist, a play at redeveloping his neighborhood ill-timed with the 2008 stock market collapse, three decades with Rob pack a lifetime of events. Yet there’s a striking, nagging absence at the core of the film. Ejiofor spends so much time showing what Rob does without taking the time to sit with who he is. The vast ensemble of supporting characters in his orbit asks these questions about his identity, but the film never provides any space to ponder or provide the answers.
Rob’s lack of definition dilutes the impact of the film’s conclusion, which is the reason to tell the story in the first place. By cycling through plot points and events so rapidly, “Rob Peace” glosses over the real tragedy at its core. There’s more to lament than just his premature death. Ejiofor lets the missed opportunities throughout his life waft by, never amalgamating them into a larger case of how the world fails figures like Rob. The filmmaker appears intimidated by the project’s competing scale and shortness.
It does not take much imagination to imagine a version of “Rob Peace” where, given the room to sit with events, Rob’s journey provides a damning X-ray of American society’s shortsightedness. But far too often, the film settles for simply conveying information through dramatization. Apart from Ejiofor’s vigorous turn in front of the camera as Skeet fights for his freedom, everyone else feels startlingly lacking in urgency and passion. They sleepwalk through a sensational saga. It’s a resignation to death rather than a celebration or acknowledgment of life. [C+]
Follow along for all our coverage of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.