Chiwetel Ejiofor’s powerful new film Rob Peace tells a story we have all heard far too often. An exceptionally smart Black man puts his future on hold to help others in his community and to get his father released from prison. But his efforts, noble as they are, come with a heavy price. Ejiofor adapted Jeff Hobbs’ heartbreaking biography The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace.
Rob Peace features a breakout performance by Tulsa King actor Jay Will, who leads a cast of Mary J. Blige, Camila Cabello, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Michael Kelly, Mare Winningham, and Ejiofor who plays Rob’s father.
One of the best films to premiere at Sundance earlier this year, I wrote in my review “Even if Ejiofor’s Rob Peace looks at its subject with rose-tinted glasses, there’s something to be said about a film that wants to honor and cherish this unique Black soul.”
SYNOPSIS: Directed, adapted by, and starring Academy Award® nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 YEARS A SLAVE), ROB PEACE follows the true story of a brilliant young man (Jay Will) torn between his father’s shadowed past and his own promising future. Raised by his devoted mother (Academy Award® nominee Mary J. Blige, MUDBOUND), Rob risks everything he has worked for to free his imprisoned father (Ejiofor).
Paramount opens Rob Peace in theaters on August 16th.
