Lyle, a low-end repo man, lives in New York City where he struggles from day-to-day financially. His sole companion is his girlfriend Nina, an unemployed, capricious type of individual, who seems to go with the flow of life. The two share a love of Marijuana but while Nina's use of the drug ventures more into the existential reasons, Lyle's use is more directly associated with his inability to cope with his life. This distinction between the two in terms of Marijuana use is what slowly begins to pull them apart, with Lyle coming to the point where he has to decide between Nina and Marijuana. Shaka King's Newlyweeds is an odd, touching relationship drama that uses addiction as a catalyst to explore low-income, African-American life in New York City. Calling Newlyweeds a stoner film does it as disservice, as the relationship drama that unfolds between these two individuals goes far beyond drug use. While Newlyweeds treats pot addiction seriously, marijuana is simply the catalyst used to explore much deeper strife in Lyle and Nina's relationship. Lyle uses Marijuana as a form of anti-depressant, while Nina uses it as a way to enhance the world around her, a distinction that is very important in understanding how their relationship has gone astray. Using nuance and subtlety, Newlyweeds shows how Lyle is a man whose perilous career has broken him down, relying on Marijuana as a means of happiness. It's not his addiction to Marijuana that hurts their relationship but rather his inability to be happy without the drug, a distinction between him and Nina's use. Part moralistic drama, part absurd comedy, Shaka King's Newlyweeds offers a naturalistic relationship drama about two brooklynites with a penchant to get high.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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