My Name is Myeisha - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

My Name is Myeisha



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
My Name is Myeisha joins the long line of films that have been coming out the last few years regarding race and police violence. However, the 2019 release kind of stands out as being different than the rest of the pack as it is not only an adaptation of a stage play, but a stage play that was really a dramatic dance performance as it’s main narrative. Director/co-writer Gus Krieger blends in elements of a traditional narrative, but still keeps the general structure of the interpretive dance foundation of the stage play, making for a bizarrely interesting watch. Not everything works together in harmony for the film though, as the dance and the interpretive art takes over instead of fueling a narrative of loss and pain, only sometimes getting it’s message across, and other times beating you over the head with it.

The main premise of the film revolves around a girl named Myeisha (Rhaechyl Walker) who gets gunned down by the police. Instead of creating a story about the consequences of this action, Krieger instead shoots backwards in time, using a series of performance art song and dance sequences to tell the tale of Myeisha and her life before she was brutally gunned down.

I’d like to go into more detail, but it’s really hard to do so with this particular film. They say movies are a visual art, and this one in particular takes that notion to an extreme. The entire thing is one big performance art piece, using small vignettes to try and tack together a more comprehensive look at a girl’s life. Sadly the movie has kept the stage playesque nature of the original source material a bit TOO much, which in turn doesn’t allow for any cohesive narrative to come forth. Instead it feels like little bits and pieces of a play shown in a semi movie form, kind of like how Childish Gambino did with his song “This is America”, but with much MUCH less impact.

The movie really thrives on those few moments of intimacy with Myeisha and her struggles, but those moments are sadly over shadowed by a quick move to another scene, and the whole artfulness tone of the production doesn’t really leave much in the way of proper storytelling. If this was a stage production being filmed (ala Oklahoma with Hugh Jackman) then some of these flaws could have been overlooked as they’re indicative of the medium, but Krieger instead tried to make a movie out of stage scenes, and the two clashing styles are frustrating to watch on screen.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

My Name is Myeisha is your typically digital shot production, and it is certainly a gorgeous looking transfer. The details and digital crispness just pop off the screen and give a near photo realistic appearance. Fine details are exceptional across the board, and the dark nature of the film really doesn’t cause any problems with crush or banding. I noticed some very MILD crush, but as I said, not really an issue. Colors are vibrant and richly saturated, such as Myeisha’s shirt, or the deep blue of a police uniform. Contrast levels are even and balanced, while skin tones remain neutral. All in all, a good transfer and there is almost nothing to nitpick about the transfer, in my opinion.








Audio:

Shout Factory provides their normal options of a 5.1 and a 2.0 track (both in DTS-HD MA lossless) and the 5.1 mix is easily the superior one due to the music that flows throughout the track. Voices are crisp and clear, with a nice loud boost to them for the harsh monologues, and a rip roaring beat boxing nature to the hip hop track. Surrounds are fully engaged with the score as well as the urban beat boxing, and the LFE channel is more than capable of adding some good midrange chest thumb with those elements. Still, dialog is the center focus of this track and it’s firmly locked up there in the center channel and clear as a bell.







Extras:

• Commentary with writer/director Gus Krieger.
• Cast and Crew Interviews
• Behind the Scenes Photos
• Teaser Trailer

Final Score: ​

My Name is Myeisha is something that I feel was best on the stage. This type of dramatic art production already has a hard road ahead of it as it is not your typical 3 act film, and Krieger’s direction of Hinds work is a bit choppy. He tries too much to keep it like the original source material, and this does the film no favor, as it distances the audience from what’s happening on screen. There’s some misdirection and tricks to keep the audience interested in what’s going on, but those not so subtle misdirection’s do more to alienate the viewer even more. The production is at its best when it’s most intimate, creating an emotional anchor that draws you back into the story, but sadly I felt they were nowhere near as effective as they should be due to the helter skelter nature of the art project. Shout Factory did a great job with the disc though, giving it some solid extras, great video, and very nice audio. Still, this is not something I would generally recommend to everyone, but it’s really something that is more niche and worth checking out if you’re into stage plays and dramatic art performances rather than your typical film.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Rhaechyl Walker, John Merchant, Dominique Toney, Dee Dee Stephens, Rickerby Alexander Brown-Hinds, Warren Burke, Gregg Daniel
Directed by: Gus Krieger
Written by: Rickerby Hinds, Gus Krieger
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH,
Studio: Shout Factory
Rated: NR
Runtime: 84 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: January 28th, 2020

Recommendation: Niche Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Very interesting trailer. I will check it out once on amazon prime/netflix.

 

[Michael Scott]

yeah, it's a very unique movie I will give it that

 

[Jack1949]

The trailer was enough for me. Although the trailer is very artistic, I don't think I could watch a whole movie in that style.

 

[tripplej]

lol. I do like movies that are out way out there, just to see how "different " they can be. Of course, not all are great but I just like to see the various contrasting styles and looks from what I normally would see. Some movies, after watching, I think to my self, what did I see. lol.