The Chi
2018
Original language: English
- drama
The story
A relevant, timely and distinctive coming-of-age story following a half dozen interrelated characters in the South Side of Chicago. The story centers on Brandon, an ambitious and confident young man who dreams about opening a restaurant of his own someday, but is conflicted between the promise of a new life and his responsibility to his mother and teenage brother back in the South Side.
What it’s like
Handheld, close-in camerawork gives The Chi the feel of standing on a South Side block with the people in it, its streets shot in daylight that runs flat and grey in winter and warm and sticky in summer. Interiors are lived-in and unpolished: kitchens with yellow overhead light, cars parked under sodium lamps, the hum of a corner store at night. The score leans on soulful R&B and hip-hop, with sparse, unhurried gaps where the city's noise takes over. Vibe-wise it is grounded and tender, with a restless undercurrent of worry that never quite tips into spectacle. It suits a long evening in, a slow weekend binge, or a stretch of time when you want to feel close to a community rather than watch it from a distance. Its pacing is patient, and it spends its hours on conversations, family dinners, and small negotiations between loyalty and ambition. Its ensemble of interconnected lives moves through hope, setback, and quiet resilience, with a young man weighing a fresh start against the people he left behind. Intensity is moderate: there is recurring street violence, gunfire and a sense of constant danger, plus frank adult language, drug use, and some sexual content, but the gore is limited and the emotional weight comes from grief and fear more than shock. It is for viewers who want a character-driven drama about Black urban life, rooted in place and community, with real emotional stakes.
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