Dayveon's reviews
Media reviews
Roger Ebert
'Dayveon' runs like a micro-budget version of the kind of hood movies they used to make in the ?90s, which is just one of its fascinating qualities as it also becomes the results of a filmmaker (who is from Arkansas) going deep into the real life world he is capturing. Throughout, it walks a fine line between his own cinematic daydreams and those of his environment, and the film is electrified by mixing the two.
Indiewire
Shot with raw specificity and a remarkable sense of place, 'Dayveon' doesn?t cut through its clichés so much as it is reclaims them as the stuff of real life, its wide-eyed hero navigating an adolescence in which gang culture is made all the more appealing by its predictability.
The Playlist
The strength of the film is when it sustains its singular tone, drifting with Dayveon through a life that seems preordained, as he becomes another cog in a cycle of poverty and drugs that is familiar to many neighborhoods beyond the neglected south.
The A.V. Club
'Dayveon' is often beautiful, anchored by a talented cast of first-time film actors. By displacing some familiar gang-movie dynamics into an environment less often glimpsed on film, Abbasi stays true to the offbeat heart of his influences. The strength of his work here indicates an even more distinct voice might yet emerge.
The Wrap
At times, this approach seems to prioritize mood over matter. Both the lyrical beauty and portentous symbolism can be heavy-handed, as with the oft-viewed beehive in Dayveon?s backyard. And it often feels as though Abbasi put more thought into the obsessively-composed aesthetics than his underdeveloped script.
Variety
If there?s a certain thinness of psychology in 'Dayveon' (particularly relative to more complex, multi-tasking stories of fringe identity such as 'Moonlight') there are still rewards to seeing the camera reflect communities that have hitherto been largely invisible on screen. Abbasi is uncompromising, for example, in his recording of the ensemble?s strong regional accents, for which a number of outside audiences may take some time to develop an ear.
The Hollywood Reporter
'Dayveon' takes a refreshing break from the hip-hop soundtrack one would usually expect from the milieu depicted, creating an unexpectedly ethereal atmosphere. Similarly, the disconnection in other key scenes between the dialogue track and the images adds atmosphere.
New York Times
With dialogue that doesn?t make concessions to clear exposition, the movie hints at several possible futures for Dayveon: a stable life with his family; afternoons skipping rocks with a friend (Kordell Johnson), who is also a new gang member; more robberies. But the diffuse filmmaking style muffles the story?s power.