Black Box (2020 film)

Black Box is a 2020 American horror film directed by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr. and written by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr. and Stephen Herman. The film stars Mamoudou Athie, Phylicia Rashad, Amanda Christine, Tosin Morohunfola and Troy James. Jason Blum serves as an executive producer under his Blumhouse Television banner.

Black Box
Official release poster
Directed byEmmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr.
Produced byJohn H. Brister
Screenplay by
  • Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr.
  • Stephen Herman
Story byStephen Herman
Starring
Music byBrandon Roberts
CinematographyHilda Mercado
Edited byGlenn Garland
Production
companies
Distributed byAmazon Studios
Release date
  • October 6, 2020 (2020-10-06) (United States)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget< $10 million[2]
Box office$125,466 [3]

Black Box was released on October 6, 2020, by Amazon Studios on its OTT platform Prime Video as the second installment in the anthological Welcome to the Blumhouse film series.[4]

Plot

After losing his wife and his memory in a car accident, a single father undergoes an agonizing experimental treatment that causes him to question who he really is.

Nolan Wright survives a car crash, physically intact but suffering from amnesia. Having lost his wife in the same accident, he is now a single father to his 10-year-old daughter, Ava. Due to his amnesia, Nolan has a hard time remembering his past and doing basic tasks, including cooking and picking up his daughter from school. Ava, who is very mature and highly precocious, aids him in many of these tasks, and makes excuses for him when he falls short in social settings.

After receiving numerous warnings from a teacher at Ava's school regarding his forgetful behavior (which comes as neglect to those who do not know Nolan's condition), and failing to get a photography contract at work, Nolan decides to opt for an experimental procedure that might help him get his memory back.

After talking with his friend, Dr. Gary Yeboah, Nolan decides to enlist the help of Dr. Brooks, a neurologist at the hospital he was first brought to after the accident. After using hypnosis, Dr. Brooks explores Nolan's mind, and deems him a suitable subject for the experimental procedure. With the help of Dr. Brooks, and her "black box," Nolan explores the recesses of his mind, and tries to regain his memory.

Unfortunately, this is not an easy process. Nolan sees figures, but not faces, and is frequently confronted by some sort of monster that causes him to panic and leave the memories. The good side is, however, that outside Dr. Brooks' office, he begins to catch glimpses of other memories, which help him work towards a more normal and healthy relationship with Ava.

None of this lasts long, though. As Dr. Brooks pushes Nolan further and further, he begins to suspect that there is a dark truth in his past, and although Dr. Yeboah assures him this is not the case, Nolan is frantic with worry. Eventually, in a session with Dr. Brooks, Nolan defeats the monster in his memories and looks into a mirror, only to realize he is not Nolan at all. When he comes to, he is aware of his true identity: Thomas Brooks, Dr. Brooks' own son.

Dr. Brooks reveals that Thomas died some time previously, but before he died she had mapped out his consciousness and uploaded it to the black box, so she could download his consciousness into the suitable host when one arrived. Thomas leaves, pretending to still be a Nolan, but is struggling with this new knowledge. Eventually, he leaves Ava with Dr. Yeboah, as he says he no longer trusts himself. Thomas seeks out his wife, and tries to explain to her that he is back, but finds that she has erased all traces of him, and does not want him in her life.

At the same time, Dr. Yeboah is looking into Nolan's file and realizes there are some irregularities. He grows suspicious of Dr. Brooks. Ultimately, he and Ava break into Dr. Brooks' office, where they find her trying to replace what is left of Nolan's consciousness with Thomas's. They manage to interrupt her in time; Thomas and Nolan are physically acting out the fight for Nolan's mind in his consciousness, but Ava's screams remind Thomas of his own daughter's screams, and he gives up, realizing that he was killed by his wife, who threw him down the stairs after years of abuse.

It appears that Thomas has let go of his hold on Nolan, as we see Nola, Ava, and Dr. Yeboah leave, but Thomas's exact fate is left unknown. Dr. Brooks is then shown repairing the black box and trying to run Thomas's mapped consciousness, which seems to work, as she looks into the black box, says his name, and smiles.

Cast
  • Mamoudou Athie as Nolan Wright
  • Phylicia Rashad as Dr. Lilian Brooks
  • Amanda Christine as Ava Wright
  • Tosin Morohunfola as Dr. Gary Yeboah
  • Troy James as Backwards Man
  • Charmaine Bingwa as Miranda Brooks
  • Donald Watkins as Thomas Brooks

Production

In February 2020, it was announced Mamoudou Athie, Phylicia Rashad, Amanda Christine, Tosin Morohunfola and Troy James, had joined the cast of the film, with Jason Blum producing under his Blumhouse Television banner, with Amazon Studios distributing.[5] The film is the first in an 8-part deal Blumhouse has with Amazon Studios.[6] Principal photography took place in New Orleans, Louisiana.[7]

Release

It was released on October 6, 2020, alongside The Lie, as one of the first two films in the eight film anthology Welcome to the Blumhouse.[8]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 73% based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 6.40/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "An intriguing debut for writer-director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, Black Box compensates for a lack of surprises with strong performances and an emotionally rewarding story."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]

The Black Box grossed $121,954 at the box office.[3]

References
  1. Verhoeven, Beatrice (February 27, 2020). "Phylicia Rashad, Mamoudou Athie to Star in 'Black Box' for Amazon, Blumhouse TV (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  2. Spangler, Todd (October 27, 2020). " Borat 2 Drew 'Tens of Millions' of Viewers Over Opening Weekend, Amazon Says". Variety. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  3. "The Black Box (2020) Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  4. Rubin, Rebecca (August 13, 2020). "Eight New Blumhouse Horror Films Coming to Amazon". Variety. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  5. Verhoeven, Beatrice (February 27, 2020). "Phylicia Rashad, Mamoudou Athie to Star in 'Black Box' for Amazon, Blumhouse TV (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  6. Littleton, Cynthia (November 14, 2018). "Blumhouse TV Pacts With Amazon for Eight Feature-Length Thrillers". Variety. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  7. Morales, Wilson (March 27, 2020). "Exclusive: Mamoudou Athie On Learning The Wine Business In First Starring Role For 'Uncorked'". BlackFilm.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  8. Rubin, Rebecca (August 13, 2020). "Eight New Blumhouse Horror Films Coming to Amazon". Variety. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  9. "Black Box (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  10. "Black Box Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
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