critics consensus

An intriguing debut for writer-director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, Black Box compensates for a lack of surprises with strong performances and an emotionally rewarding story. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

After losing his wife and memory in a car accident, a single father undergoes an agonizing experimental treatment that causes him to question who he really is.

Genre:

mystery and thriller
Original Language:

English
Director:

Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour
Producer:

John H. Brister
Writer:

Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, Stephen Herman
Release Date (Streaming):

Oct 6, 2020
Runtime:

1h 40m
Production Co:

Amazon Studios, Black Bar Mitzvah, Blumhouse Television
Aspect Ratio:

Scope (2.35:1)

Cast & Crew

Mamoudou Athie
Nolan

Phylicia Rashad
Lillian

Amanda Christine
Ava

Tosin Morohunfola
Gary

Charmaine Bingwa
Miranda

Donald Watkins
Thomas

Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for Black Box

TV Premiere Dates 2020

Indie Fresh List: The Wolf of Snow Hollow, The Forty-Year-Old Version, and More

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Critic Reviews for Black Box

All Critics (61) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (17)

Athie... sensitively navigates the film's games of identity hide and seek; he provokes our full sympathy, which the film then subverts and complicates with a decent second-act twist.

October 14, 2020 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

A.A. Dowd
AV Club
"Black Box" has all the visual language of a cheap "Twilight Zone" knock-off.

October 13, 2020 | Rating: C | Full Review…

Brian Tallerico
The Playlist
There's almost a comatose nature to the film itself. I just wanted to electrify and wake it up.

October 10, 2020 | Full Review…

Amy Nicholson
FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
Mamoudou Athie especially does a really good job with what turns out to be a really challenging role. He's what makes it interesting for me.

October 10, 2020 | Full Review…

Angie Han
FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
When you watch a debut like Black Box, you just know that the director is going to be around for a while.

October 7, 2020 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Nick Allen
RogerEbert.com
While it never descends into the nightmare its premise threatens, Black Box is a solid thriller that benefits from strong performances and a screenplay packed with philosophical anguish.

October 7, 2020 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Al Horner
Empire Magazine
It's nominally creepy stuff, but Black Box's uninspired horror elements never rise above creepypasta pastiche, and its derivative mad science is equally disappointing.

January 29, 2021 | Rating: C+ | Full Review…

Jeffrey Zhang
Strange Harbors
Oh the horrors of a horror movie that's not the least bit horrifying.

January 13, 2021 | Rating: 1.5/4 | Full Review…

Roger Moore
Movie Nation
A solid and entertaining horror proposal. It manages to involve the viewer in the nightmare that its protagonist lives. [Full review in Spanish]

January 3, 2021 | Rating: 6.7/10 | Full Review…

Diana Mangas
Los Interrogantes
It's not a perfect film, but it's a fun puzzle box mystery with jarring transitions between reality and mindscape that rely on mounting tension and intimate drama, not jump scares.

December 26, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

MontiLee Stormer
MovieReelist.com
It's an amnesia film that forgot to tell us how it ends.

November 11, 2020 | Rating: C+ | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
Black Box keeps the puzzle intact for as long as it probably can, and caps it with a satisfying end.

November 10, 2020 | Full Review…

Steve Murray
ArtsATL