Signs of Love

Writer-director Clarence Fuller challenges viewers by making a heroic figure out of someone who sells drugs for a living. Called "a pusher" by his own father, who's also dealing with a substance dependency, Frankie sells drugs to keep food on the table and to cover the rent for the townhouse he shares with his sister and nephew. The more viewers learn about Frankie, the more they're encouraged to feel compassion for his choices and the cyclical unpleasantness of his life. When he falls for Jane, it's the shake he needs to try to do something else with his life. But as an audience member -- or at least as a parent -- it's hard to root for their romance. Jane is a bright light with a bright future, and her parents are caring and supportive. For teens, her relationship with Frankie plays into the old Hollywood narrative that a girl can "fix" a troubled "bad boy" just by loving him. Sigh.

This is the first feature from Fuller, who has previously directed fashion content and music videos. Signs of Love is a good calling card for him: His direction is solid, and he makes the most of a limited budget. But it does feel like the film's purpose is primarily meant to serve as exactly that: a calling card to launch careers. It's impossible to forget that the movie's stars belong to two prestigious U.S. acting families: the Wright-Penns and the Arquettes. And, as they say, the kids are all right, with Bleu, in a Manic Pixie Dream Girl-esque role, absolutely compelling. With very little dialogue, she steals every scene; honestly, a movie about Jane's life seems like it could be more interesting than the one we're given. Fuller's story is about how harsh reality can be for people who grow up poor in America, and seems to be hoping to serve as an encouragement to avoid that fate. But it's not moving enough to move the needle, and so it ends up feeling like part of the "poverty porn" genre, which feels even ickier given that the actors portraying these characters are as privileged as they come.