Prime Time
03-Apr-2018
Chicago video journalist Will P.T. is ready for his big break but it’s slow coming and self-doubt is starting to creep in. “Prime Time,” directed by Gus Gavino, perfectly captures the feeling of striving for something you don’t have complete control over. It’s a subtly touching film about aspirations and perseverance. The outside world rages on around him. A quick glance at the TV finds bad news all around: a white supremacist shoots up a black church, people of color attacked by police, flashes of battles from across the country cutting along racial lines. Amidst that turmoil, Will must reckon with his own personal struggles. For his YouTube interview show, “The Inside of Out News” he interviews an owner of a local sneaker shop, but craves something with more gravity. It’s weighing heavily on him. He dreams of scoring an interview that would put him on the map (in front of the mirror at night, he practices what he would ask Barack Obama). And then there’s word that maybe he will be get a chance finally, with Chance the Rapper perhaps, or Spike Lee? Getting a wonderful performance from Chris Love as Will, a young man hungry for an opportunity, who puts himself out there and maintains strength and dignity regardless, it’s a rare film defined just as much by what doesn’t happen as what does. Gavino, working with D.P. Renzo Vargas, offers lovely compositions and low-key malaise over melancholic jazz. Gavino previously directed “El Profe” which we featured in 2016. (16 minutes) Writer / Director: Gus Gavino. Producers: Madeline Gorman, Gus Gavino. Director of Photography: Renzo Vargas. Editor: Gus Gavino. Original Music: Twin Talk.