‘Sleight’ fuses superhero story with coming-of-age tale

By day, Bo (Jacob Latimore) is a street magician, wowing passers- by with truly impressive sleight of hand for tips.

By night, he slings party drugs in the clubs and on the streets of L.A. But all the time, he’s the protective guardian of his sister, Tina (Storm Reid), just two orphaned siblings against the world.

In “Sleight,” co-writer/ director J. D. Dillard and co-writer/producer Alex Theurer have created an unlikely superhero origin story, executed with the style, themes and budget of independent cinema.

The central conflict of “Sleight” revolves around Bo’s competing livelihoods. Magic is his passion, a calling so strong that he has subjected himself to physical extremes. Inspired by a Venice Beach illusionist he encountered as a kid who had carved a hole in his hand for an illusion, Bo believes that anyone can do a trick, but the person who’ll do anything is the true magician.

But selling drugs pays the bills for Bo and Tina, a side hustle that has sucked him in far deeper than he ever imagined. His boss, Angelo (Dulé Hill), has started to rely on him in ways that test Bo’s morality and identity, and going against the boss is far more dangerous than even Bo wagers.

Also, Bo’s recently met cute community college student/cupcake salesgirl Holly (Seychelle Gabriel), and he doesn’t suspect she wants to date the local drug dealer.

The magic is the setting and the soul of “Sleight,” while the drugs offer stakes and danger to the story. At times, the drug subplot can feel a bit overwrought and inauthentic; as committed as Hill is, it’s hard to buy him as the ruthless and cold-blooded Angelo.

But Dillard and Theurer pull off the most important thing in the film — the character and his journey. Latimore shines in this lead role, a star-making performance for this on-the-rise actor.

The high stakes of his entanglement with Angelo force Bo out of his comfort zone, and he relies on his skill with magic to slide out of some sticky situations. However, it becomes far more than just an optical illusion, and as Bo pushes himself to the limit, he makes a breakthrough from the kind of sleight-of-hand magic to what seems to almost be real magic.

The f ilm leaves the supernatural elements just ambiguous enough, only hinting around the edges at the possibilities of what could be. It’s a smart move for a film that’s grounded in a gritty reality about a kid struggling to make ends meet in a tough world that hasn’t been fair to him. But the wisps of real magic that dance around the edges of “Sleight” imbue the film with a fresh, exciting dynamic.

In their feature f ilm debut, Dillard and Theurer have efficiently utilized their resources to demonstrate a deft control of character and tone that leaves you wanting more from Bo’s story, and curious about what the filmmakers could do with a bigger project. “Sleight” fuses superhero story with a tough coming-of-age tale, and it enlivens and elevates both genres into something new and different, while heralding the arrival of Latimore as a star.