Luce

About Luce

Luce is a drama movie released in 2019. The plot centers around Luce Edgar, a charismatic and high-achieving high school student, who was adopted from war-torn Eritrea. His parents, Amy and Peter Edgar, are proud of their son's accomplishments. However, when Luce's history teacher, Ms. Wilson, discovers some alarming content in Luce's assignment, it triggers a chain of events that threatens to shatter the idyllic image of Luce and his family. The movie explores themes like race, privilege, and stereotypes, and it builds a psychological drama to question the notions of identity.

Making/Production

Luce was directed by Julius Onah and the screenplay was written by J.C. Lee and Julius Onah. It is based on the play of the same name by J.C. Lee.

Actors

• Kelvin Harrison Jr. plays the role of Luce Edgar. He stunningly portrays the complexities of a young man grappling with his identity and who constantly finds himself under the scrutiny of society's perceptions.
• Octavia Spencer played the part of Harriet Wilson, Luce's history teacher who is suspicious of him. She portrayed the character with a mix of firmness and vulnerability drawing parallels between her personal struggles and her professional decisions.
• Naomi Watts and Tim Roth play Amy and Peter Edgar, parent figures that epitomized the desperation of wanting to believe in their son’s innocence, even as evidence to the contrary comes to light.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• Luce is based on a 2013 play by J.C. Lee, who co-wrote the screenplay with the film's director, Julius Onah.
• The name 'Luce' means 'light' in Italian, symbolizing the character's sophistication and intelligence.

Awards

Luce was nominated for various awards, including Best Male Lead (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Best Supporting Female (Octavia Spencer) at the Independent Spirit Awards, and Best Original Screenplay at the NAACP Image Awards.

Quotes

• “Just because you discover one possibility that a person might be capable of, doesn’t mean you’ve discovered what that person is.” - Luce
• “We all come from different backgrounds. That doesn’t mean we can’t have the same values.” - Harriet Wilson

Music, Soundtrack

• "Internacionales" by Bomba Estéreo.
• "Place Called Home" by Ella Vos.
• "You Can Run" by Adam Jones.