Absolutely killer performances from Hill and Parker anchor Nwandu’s passionate, heady, and ambitious script. Hill should be in way more things, he was a standout in Elementary and a standout here. That angry, desperate hope is magnetic. And Parker’s earnest puppy dog energy makes you ache for him. Turning Waiting for Godot into a metaphor for the endless cycle so many of us are trapped in is inspired. The learned helplessness, the powerlessness, the desperate yearning coupled with the instilled inability to do anything about it. And then to push against the framework of both the play and the system only to end up violent smacked down is both a clever meta touch and a heartbreaking sight.

Lee both shows the strength of the theater, with its set design, communal audience reactions, and intimate performances, while putting his keen cinematic eye to great use. Involving the audience, making use of multiple angles to really spotlight the performances, Lee doesn’t just turn on the camera and peace out, he shows up and shows out. This’ll probably be my last Spike Lee joint for a while- next on the list are his MJ docs, which. Yeah. But this is a great stopping point for now, showing his directorial strengths and his eye for new talent who deserve to have their stories told.