88 is a film from which you cannot look away – especially in these politically charged and divisively manipulative times.
A high-concept political thriller, writer/director Eromose’s 88 is filled with twists and turns that fuel the suspense and jaw-dropping intrigue as we see the inner workings of a political campaign unfold with horrifying revelations, many drawn from the pages of world history.
Written, directed, and edited by Eromose (Thomas Ikimi), 88 stars Brandon Victor Dixon, Naturi Naughton, Orlando Jones, Thomas Sadoski, William Fichtner and Amy Sloan.
Set during a fictional 2024 presidential campaign, we first meet Femi Jackson. A good, hardworking, upstanding family man who believes in the democratic process and in the candidate supported by One USA, the democratic super PAC he works for as its financial director. One USA is supporting presidential candidate Harold Roundtree who aims to be the second Black President of the United States. Femi truly believes Roundtree to be the great hope for America while Femi’s wife Maria, and assistant bank manager, doesn’t trust or believe in him or the current politics of America.
While processing donations and overseeing the finances for One USA, Femi notices some irregularities and patterns in the donations and calls on his friend and investment blogger Ira Goldstein for an assist. What at first appeared to be irregularities is quickly revealed to be a calculated conspiracy going deeper than either Femi or Ira ever imagined.
Bringing their findings to the attention of One USA Executive Director Fred Fowlkes and One USA chair Agatha Frost, Femi and Ira become even more concerned as while Fred is anxious to investigate and act upon their findings, Agatha is not. Undeterred, Femi and Ira keep digging on their own to uncover the truth, determined to get to the source of the conspiracy before the presidential primaries with Femi asking the big question, does Harold Roundtree know about the conspiracy and the source of his campaign funding?
Very keenly structured by director Eromose, while we are watching Femi and Ira’s investigation and attendant intrigue unfold, intercut throughout is a live television interview with talk show host Rod Holt grilling Roundtree on the various campaign issues, most notably campaign finance reform, One USA and more. But with every question, Roundtree becomes more evasive, more ambiguous, and more slippery.
88 is extremely politicized from the start and feels “diversity-forced” as we meet all the players individually, most notably the major campaign workers at One USA who hail from every ethnicity and sexual orientation. And although it initially feels forced, it does feed into the “Killmonger” attitude of Femi’s wife Maria and sets the stage for what is about to unfold and how it affects all people. However, stay tuned and don’t turn away because things get interesting fast and 88 becomes a bonafide political thriller that is predicated upon some of the most obscure history from the beginning of time, particularly during and after the Third Reich, which then leads us into the last 18 minutes of the film where everything comes together in an explosive jaw-dropping revelation about the workings of our political system today, particularly campaign finance.
I applaud writer/director Eromose and what was obviously an immense amount of research into history of the use of the “88 code” with the Nazis and White Supremacy, as well as drawing on Michael Dean’s terrific historical fiction book “The Crooked Cross.” Interweaving all of that fact into a US political campaign is beautifully structured, making for a riveting watch. The tangents and branches that are explored are many, with the bottom line ultimately being – how is the money moved, who is moving the money, who or what is the money buying. So well structured and edited, ambiguity and suspicion are the watchwords of the day as we are as anxious as Femi and Ira to find out who exactly is at the top rung of the conspiracy pulling the strings.
But as fascinating as the intrigue and history are (and I suspect many will not realize that “88 code” and “The Crooked Cross” are real), without compelling and engaging characters, the film would fall flat. Luckily, we have Brandon Victor Dixon as Femi and Thomas Sadoski as Ira. These two are incredible. The friendship and camaraderie is palpable, resonant. And both are beyond likable. You believe their concern, their care, their dedication to the urgency of the unfolding situation.
As Femi’s wife Maria, Naturi Naughton comes across as a bull in a china shop and is off-putting, but effectively so. As Agatha, Amy Sloan is deliciously malevolent. From the moment we meet her with her initial arrogance, watching the tacit body language and downturned eyes that Sloan delivers tells us there’s plenty that we don’t know about her. Michael Harney fills the bill as old campaign stalwart Fred but by the third act he is a bit too polished to really be a man who has been in the trenches. He’s got someone pushing his buttons, too.
Orlando Jones oozes an oil slick as Roundtree, be he in “on-air conversation” with William Fichtner’s Ron Holt or meeting as the king in his castle atop a hill in act three. Jones always has terrific body language and he does so again here. The way he frames his face with his hand and finger extended upward along the cheek is a tell of insincerity. And boy can he bring the pomposity. Fitchner is marvelous and I wish we had seen more of him.
With so much to unpack, 88 touches on so many hot button topics throughout the film from BLM to white supremacy to religious and ethnic supremacy to dirty campaigns to campaign money laundering to history to an almost sidebar commentary about bank lending discrimination, to hypocrisy, finger pointing, and so much more. And yes, there is subtext about an innocent baby being born into this screwed up world.
Cinematographer Paul de Lumen’s lensing is crisp. Natural. Nice reliance on mid-shots given we typically have multiple folks in a frame at one time. A smattering of mid-close-ups are very effective. There is a desaturated look to the film but with a slightly enhanced contrast that is purposeful and effective. Color is muted so nothing detracts from the story or the strong performances.
Eromose’s editing is purposeful, rapier, and exceedingly well balanced between “real time” events and the Roundtree interview intercutting.
Joe Kraemer’s score is interesting in that it has a “mystery feel” to it as merely a non-defining undercurrent that speaks to the choppy waters of politics.
A film that stands on its own two feet with no apologies, giving us historical context and showing us how that has morphed into a strong arm of the political process today. Eromose gives us so much to think about with 88, I can easily see this expanded into a limited narrative series that digs even deeper into what he touches upon here.
Written and Directed by Eromose (Thomas Ikimi)
Cast: Brandon Victor Dixon, Naturi Naughton, Orlando Jones, Thomas Sadoski, William Fichtner and Amy Sloan
by debbie elias, June 5, 2022
Tribeca Film Festival review
