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Back to Weekend Film Reviews

Weekend Film Reviews

Selah and the Spades

In "Selah and the Spades," Tayarisha Poe's impressive debut feature, a tyrannical teen rules the prep-school roost.

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By Joe Morgenstern • Apr 18, 2020 • 3m Listen

The first thing you notice about "Selah and the Spades," is its visual distinction. The film, streaming on Amazon, wants you to see rather than watch what’s going on, and pulls you in with images that range from swirling abstractions to lovely soft-light portraiture. Then you’re aware of a strong filmmaker’s sensibility. This debut feature by Tayarisha Poe sets a comically heightened tone of mythic power for the story of a tyrannical teen and her innocent rival at an exclusive East Coast prep school.

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    Joe Morgenstern

    Host, 'Film Reviews'

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