Luce: A Fascinating Psychological Mystery-Thriller!

This movie has no marketing behind it and will probably disappear from the theaters soon, so, if it is still playing at a theater near you this weekend, put it at the top of your list!  If you can't do this, then see it when it's on Amazon Prime or Netflix.  It's an emotionally-involving, intellectually-stimulating film which has very interesting themes – such as adoption, race, school safety, and privilege – and raises lots of questions.  It has a great ensemble cast and you'll be thinking about it long after you leave the theater.  It has an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but received only 1 1/2 stars from Roger Ebert, so it's a polarizing film. Luce (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) was adopted at age 7 by a wealthy couple, Amy and Peter Edgar (as played by Naomi Watts and Tim Roth).  Luce was Eritrean born and was a child soldier prior to his adoption, and he underwent intense therapy after he came to the U.S. to work through his considerable childhood trauma.  Apparently, the treatment was a success.  Luce is now a high school senior, a star athlete, and a straight-A student.  His parents are loving, competent, and devoted, but can all this later treatment and parental love really resolve Luce's violent childhood trauma? Luce's history teacher, Harriet Wilson (Octavia Spencer), gives a class assignment to write an essay from the perspective of a historical figure.  Luce has negative feelings towards her because she teaches with a political agenda – implying that African Americans and women are victims of our society.  Luce provocatively chooses philosopher Frantz Fanon, who argues that violence is the preferred method in the struggle against colonialism.  This essay freaks out poor Ms. Wilson, especially considering Luce's childhood history.  Further alarming Ms. Wilson is the fact that she found fireworks in Luce's locker, which is an offense warranting suspension from school.  Ms. Wilson violated Luce's privacy, but she felt compelled to do so due to her anxiety about Luce's essay. Ms. Wilson and Luce have a confrontation about his essay and Luce declares he was just following the assignment and isn't advocating violence.  More incidents occur involving Luce and Ms. Wilson, and his innocence comes more into question.  Luce's parents become involved and they develop a conflict over how to deal with the situation.  Is Luce starting to crack from the pressure of having to be the perfect poster-boy for immigration and adoption?  Is the pressure he feels self-imposed rather than from his parents or the school?  Is he really the great teenager he appears to be, or is it all a facade, covering a very dark psyche created by his sordid past? Those with a more positive view of human nature and the power of love will see the ending one way, while those with a more pessimistic view will interpret the ending differently.  In any case, the film is engrossing and well worth a trip to the BS.