Canal Street

Rhyan LaMarr’s drama about a black high school student accused of killing a white classmate on a Chicago-area street is an earnest but also terribly preachy tale, with strong religious overtones—as well as reflections on community divisions—tossed into the mix at every turn. After the death of his wife, lawyer Jackie Styles (Mykelti Williamson) has moved with his teen son Kholi (Bryshere Y. Gray) from the South Side to the suburbs, where at his new high school he gets into an altercation on the gym floor with Brian (Kevin Quinn). After the two go to a party, Kholi drives Brian home, only to hear a shot as he then drives off. Rushing back, Kholi finds Brian wounded and he is seen by the boy’s father, who—along with many others—assume Kholi’s guilt. Much of the film is devoted to the trial as Jackie defends his son against a politically ambitious D.A. (Mekhi Phifer), but the narrative is repeatedly interrupted by excerpts from radio talk-show hosts taking sides on the case, as well as divergent phone-in opinions offered by whites and blacks. Kholi’s cellmate, meanwhile, is a Christian proselytizer, and Brian’s father engages with an African American pastor who lost his daughter to street violence. Canal Street reveals the identity of the shooter in the end, but this seems less significant than the closing funeral service for Brian at which all the major players come together in grief and reconciliation. Well-meaning but also heavy handed, this is a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)