Spike Lee’s mastery at bringing a world to life is well in display here. You can feel his love for Brooklyn in every shot, and there’s wonderful touches like the cramped shooting of the Maryland home. As flawed as this family may be, they’re real and beautiful, and the more focused the film gets on Troi, the better. She pulls at the heartstrings, This was originally written as a series, and it shows- it’s events are episodic, and don’t always connect thematically. But that’s often true of life as well. I respect the humility here of Lee not making his stand-in of himself as a child the protagonist or flawless. The biggest strength of the film is its tribute to black girls and mothers in Brooklyn and beyond. Its biggest failing of this film, inversely, is the ending, where Troi takes her mother’s place. It’s commendable, yes, but Lee doesn’t convey the whole experience. It’s a tragedy how black girls are so often forced to grow up too fast, and it’s presented here without comment. There’s an oldest brother, but there’s not even a comment of him taking on increased responsibilities. Coming of age stories are often bittersweet, and while the sweet here is easy to like, the bitter is unevenly distributed and doesn’t stick the landing.