Watch Krystal

Krystal (2017) is a coming-of-age comedic drama film, directed by William H. Macy, that explores issues such as addiction, love, family, and personal growth. The film follows the story of Taylor, a young man with a heart condition who falls in love with Krystal, a former stripper with drug addictions and a troubled past. Set in the southern United States, the story begins with Taylor (Nick Robinson), consistently feeling anxious due to his heart condition, receiving his twenty-fifth surgery. In the hospital, he sees Krystal (Rosario Dawson), a recovering drug addict putting on a strong face for her daughter. Taylor becomes infatuated with her and begins to follow her outside the hospital, ultimately leading him to a support group that Krystal also attends.

While at the support group, Taylor meets some eccentric characters such as Tag (Jacob Latimore), a young man who has suffered the loss of his mother and is now living with his grandmother. During one support group meeting, Krystal shares her story of how she became sober and became a single mother to her daughter, but not without some bumps in the road.

After Taylor is released from the hospital, he continues to stalk Krystal and goes to her place of work at a strip club, by coincidence, Xquisite. While there, he sees her young daughter and her abusive ex-boyfriend Bobby (Grant Gustin), who is also a frequent visitor to the club. Taylor intervenes when he sees Bobby mistreating Krystal and her daughter, leading to a fight which lands him in jail.

Enter Wyatt (T.I.), Krystal's wealthy husband, and father of Krystal's daughter. Wyatt comes to Taylor's aid in jail, bonding over their time in various sports and activities they both partake in. The two become unlikely friends despite Wyatt's initial hesitance towards Taylor's crush on Krystal. Wyatt provides Taylor with money to pay for his bail and a place to call home, and the two form a strong bond.

As the film progresses, Taylor's feelings for Krystal deepen, and he instigates a date between them to a local theme park. Krystal initially seems disinterested but changes her mind when Taylor agrees to participate in a dare with her. They form a strong bond during the date, and later, back at Krystal's apartment, Taylor confesses his love for her. Krystal admits to feeling the same but tries to distance herself from him and even goes back to Bobby.

Despite Krystal's warnings and her initial hesitance, Taylor continues to pursue her. Eventually, Krystal succumbs to his persistence, and they share a kiss that is interrupted when Wyatt comes home. Wyatt's reaction is not pleasant, but Krystal informs him that she is in love with Taylor, and he does not have the power to control her feelings.

The film climaxes with a life-threatening situation involving Taylor's heart condition and Bobby's vendetta against him, and a surprise announcement from Krystal. Without giving away too much detail, the characters' stories intertwine, and they all must deal with the consequences of their actions.

Krystal is a classic story of forbidden love, showcasing the struggles of all characters involved as they deal with their personal demons. Macy directs that the story in such a naturalistic and humorous way the audience is pulled into the world easily. The characters' hardships are balanced with touching moments, loveable relationships, and humor. This is a film that is well worth watching, particularly for its underlying themes of redemption and self-acceptance.

Krystal is a 2018 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 33 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.5 and a MetaScore of 39.