Qasim Basir is a unique storyteller. This is what likely attracted Sundance's attention. In "To Live and Die and Live", he brings Muhammad (played by Amin Joseph) to life by showing how he copes with the death of his stepfather. The film immediately shines light on Islamic rituals around death and the emotions that are involved.
At first, the writing is a bit confusing. Just like with Basir's previous film, "A Boy. A Girl. A Dream", the characters aren't formally introduced like most mainstream movies. As a viewer, you have to figure out who the characters are and how they are related. That was one of the few flaws in the film.
As the film progressed, Muhammad's personality layers are revealed. While he struggles with addiction, the viewer gets small tidbits of backstory about why he self-medicates with controlled substances. I started to empathize with Muhammad because many of us have our vices which we use to numb emotional pain.
Another major flaw of the film was the rushed romantic storyline. Muhammad's love interest doesn't quite fit into the story as expected. She's a great actress but there's just too much going on. The main story is about Muhammad burying his stepfather. Adding the additional plot line would've worked if this were a TV series. For a feature film, it just made it hard to close up loose ends.
Overall, the acting and cinematography were good. Unfortunately, there were pivotal scenes that were rushed and felt thrown together and out of place. It was truly a situation of "less would have been more." I felt like Basir was trying to hard to be Oscar-bait instead of just telling a simple story.
Omari Hardwick ("Kevin") and Cory Hardrict were not as strong as expected. Since Hardwick appeared in Basir's "A Boy. A Girl. A Dream", he obviously signed on as a labor of love. His character should have been given more screen time to counter Amin Joseph's presence as Muhammad.
Nonetheless, I think Basir is one of our new directorial dynamos and will have much success in the future. He brings a fresh perspective to the industry that is much needed. He tells great stories, uses great cinematography techniques, and shows compassion for underserved communities. My only feedback is that he get a mentor to help him strengthen his screenwriting and keep stories clean and simple.
