Watch Almos' a Man

Almos' a Man is a 1976 coming-of-age film directed by Stan Lathan and based on a short story by Richard Wright. The movie follows the story of a 17-year-old African-American boy named Dave who is struggling to find his place in the world as he navigates racial tensions and his own personal insecurities in rural Mississippi during the 1940s.

At the outset of the film, Dave is working on a plantation where he spends most of his days doing menial labor alongside other black workers. Despite being almost a man, he's still treated like a child by the adults around him and feels powerless to change his circumstances. He's frustrated by his lack of independence and wants to prove to himself and others that he's capable of taking on more responsibility.

One day, Dave is inspired to buy a gun with the money he's saved up from his job. He convinces himself that owning a gun will make him a man and give him the respect he's been seeking. His mother is skeptical of this idea and warns him not to misbehave with it. However, Dave persists and buys the gun from the local store owner, who also happens to be white.

Over the course of the film, Dave struggles to understand the meaning of manhood and how to negotiate his identity in a society that devalues and oppresses him based on the color of his skin. He tries to assert himself through the power of his weapon, but this only leads him into trouble. He becomes obsessed with the gun and starts to act impulsively, putting himself and those around him in danger.

Despite the warnings of his mother and others, Dave takes the gun to a nearby quarry where he can practice shooting it. He meets an older man named Joe, who is white, and the two strike up a conversation. Joe is initially condescending to Dave but gradually warms to him when he realizes that he's not just a kid playing with a toy gun.

However, their interaction takes a dark turn when Dave accidentally fires the gun, causing Joe to almost be hit by a bullet. Dave panics and runs away, afraid of what the consequences of his actions might be. This incident sets off a chain of events that leads to a confrontation between Dave and another worker on the plantation named Sanders, who questions Dave's manhood and taunts him for being a coward.

The film is a powerful exploration of what it means to grow up as a young black man in a society where racism and violence are pervasive. It's a poignant and intimate portrait of a character who is struggling to find his voice and assert his identity in a world where he's constantly belittled and marginalized.

LeVar Burton gives a riveting performance as Dave, bringing a raw energy and vulnerability to the role that makes the character feel real and relatable. Madge Sinclair is equally compelling as Dave's mother, who provides a strong counterbalance to his impulsiveness and gives voice to the film's themes of love, community, and social justice. Robert DoQui is also excellent as Sanders, providing a nuanced portrayal of a character who is both a victim and perpetrator of the same system of oppression that Dave is struggling against.

Overall, Almos' a Man is a powerful and thought-provoking film that deals with complex and nuanced issues of race, identity, and power. It's a film that still resonates today, more than four decades after its release, as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for equality and justice in America.

Almos' a Man is a 1976 drama with a runtime of 36 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.1.