One of the hits of the festival has been Dope, writer-director Rick Famuyiwa's high-energy comedy-thriller about a young hip-hop nerd living in Los Angeles (played by Shameik Moore) who gets involved in a drug deal gone wrong. Dope may be a bit unfocused, but its propulsive forward momentum is something to see. Plus, Famuyiwa has a lot to say about racial inequality and media portrayals of African-Americans. Those messages are just as potent as the laughs and the throwback rap jams on the soundtrack. I reviewed Dope for Screen International.
