A young man is tasked by his mother to get a suitcase full of medicine and other items across Seattle so a family friend can bring it to a relative in Eritrea.
My first thought when I finished watching KNOW YOUR PLACE was I wish I had screened it in a room full of other writers at a festival. I wanted to watch the audience go silent as the end credits role before the room exploded into discussions of the gem we had just seen. I say this because there is a feeling that is unlike anything else I've experienced when a small group of people realize they have just discovered a treasure.
My second thought was that despite this film premiering last year at the Seattle Film Festival and playing at several other fests, there has been no buzz about the film. Why? I know there are too many films to stay on top of all of them, however this is the exactly the sort of film that normally breaks out of a festival and becomes a year end awards contender. That didn't happen with KNOW YOUR PLACE and I don't know why.
My third thought was I need to see this film again. I need to drop back in and really see what is going on this film. There is so much here, themes of loss, of coming to a new country, of leaving an old country, of the gentrification of American cities and how anyone without money, particularly people of color are being pushed out. I need to see the film again so I can see the various connections of plot that run through the film. There are echoes all through the film that will give you "ah ha" moments.
I don't know what else to say other than see this film, it will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.
One of the great finds of last year's Santa Barbara International Film Festival and of 2023.
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