No Running

By: MJ Asuncion

We have all come to know the Black Lives Matter political and social movement, protesting against all racially motivated violence and police brutality against black people. The movement began after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of African American teen Trayvon Martin, then nationally recognized for street demonstrations following the 2014 deaths of two African Americans, Michael Brown and Eric Garner. Since then, those in the movement have demonstrated against the deaths of numerous other African Americans by police actions or while in police custody. The global George Floyd protests in 2020 following his murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin gained international attention and was one of the largest movements in US history.

The film No Running takes on the big social justice issue of racism and wraps it in an alien abduction story. The thriller follows Black high school student Jaylen Brown (Skylan Brooks), who recently moved in with his aunt (Taryn Manning) along with his mother (Rutina Wesley) and sister Simone (Diamond White). Jaylen feels out of place in the predominantly white town, but his sister reminds him to keep a positive outlook. He soon begins to form a relationship with fellow student Amira (Clark Backo), thus starting to feel more at ease with his new life. Then, with the sudden, inexplicable disappearance of Amira, Jaylen’s whole world is turned upside down. The story really picks up the pace as it follows Jaylen’s desperate attempts to prove his innocence to a town that would sooner justify his guilt by the color of his skin, with no evidence, rather than to hear a single word he has to say. Viewers are taken along for the ride as Jaylen unravels a web of secrets that all point to otherworldly forces.

The entire cast is phenomenal, fully making their characters their own and becoming integral parts of the story. Skylan Brooks has a standout performance as the title character Jaylen, with his subtle delivery and honest portrayal. He demonstrates his character’s relentless determination and resilience with ease. Playing opposite of Brooks, Shane West does an outstanding job in the role of the conflicted town sheriff, who has set his sights on Jaylen from the beginning. Audiences can immediately feel the sheriff’s unwarranted dislike and anger towards the high school student, and it is a testament of West fully embodying his character.

No Running is written by Tucker Morgan and is the feature film directorial debut of Delmar Washington. Washington pursued filmmaking in order to talk about the Black experience in America through storytelling. Coming out of a film festival with another short sci-fi film, Washington was approached to potentially direct several projects and once he came across Morgan’s script for No Running, he was immediately attached to it because of the layered personal story that intertwines fact and fiction with mystery.

At is core No Running is a story of racial injustice and social realism, creatively told around a tense UFO abduction. Washington utilizes different camera angles from wide shots to tight close-ups and zoomed first-person views in combination with excellent work by editor Adam Tyree to really enhance the mood and intensity of each scene. Viewers are sure to be on edge as Jaylen literally runs from wrongful accusation and claws his way towards finding the truth. The central themes are very relatable in today’s society and will stir a lot of emotions with viewers. No Running is a must see and will hopefully keep the conversations going about the issue of systemic racism.