Antwone Fisher

Antwone Fisher (2002) marks Denzel Washington's debut behind the camera, and you can watch it online on iFILM. The script comes straight from the man it's named after, who turned his own life into the screenplay.

A young Navy sailor named Antwone (Derek Luke, in his first lead) keeps throwing punches and lands in front of a base psychiatrist. He won't talk at first. Washington plays the doctor who slowly draws out what the kid has buried for years: abandoned as a baby, raised by a foster family that beat and belittled him. To move forward, Antwone has to track down the relatives he never met and stand face to face with where he came from.

It's a quiet film, never showy, about how one honest conversation can pull someone out of the pit. Viola Davis and Joy Bryant round out the cast, and Derek Luke took home an Independent Spirit Award for the role. Good for anyone who likes coming-of-age stories with no sugar added. Stream Antwone Fisher (2002) online on iFILM.