Heralds the arrival of both a distinctive new filmmaking voice and a leading lady with charisma to burn.
Read full article[Slick Woods] has got this really striking presence, which is a lot of what drives this film and how compelling it is.
Read full articleThroughout, de Jong both romanticizes the unique vigor of New York City (especially the Bronx), and seeps the viewer into its harsh realities as everything grows more impossible for Goldie by the minute.
Read full article"Goldie" is about how in the most dire of situations that click is ever more alluring, and ever more elusive.
Read full articleWoods, remarkably comfortable in her first film role, gives Goldie a steel spine and a feisty resourcefulness, her moments of vulnerability rare, but essential.
Read full articleIt's a chase movie with a twist: Instead of trying to escape from the police or criminals (which is the usual story in 'urban' movies), the protagonist is trying to keep her family together by trying to escape from Child Protective Services.
Read full articleI think I get it now, this ambivalence I feel about the film. I adore a 'black girl story' and a lead like Woods' Goldie is a joy to see. Yet this is a film about disappointment and sagging dreams;
Read full articleWith another director, this might be the stuff of shallow melodrama, but Sam de Jong keeps the retro flourishes coming, along with the vibrant humor.
Read full articleScrappy and appealing -- if rarely outright dazzling -- but what truly sets the film apart is Slick Woods' performance.
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