*Warning: Spoilers*

As soon as the movie opened I could tell it was going to be something original. The main cast of characters were loaded with quirks and the presentation of the movie simultaneously had the exaggerated scenes you would find in a cartoon yet a strange sort of honesty in the messages it was delivering. The movie was focused on a black high-schooler and his struggles to escape from and exist peacefully in a tough neighborhood. When the main character fell into drug-dealing by accident, I was very frustrated by the way his environment seemed to be pushing him to a place he couldn’t come back from– the way it seemed to be trapping him. Then, as tried to work his way out he seemed to be losing his previously held morals and standards. He became more violent, more willing to work in systems he had used to avoid. I began to become increasingly worried for his character, wondering if he would even try to escape from his world anymore or if he would remain stuck forever. The more I saw him succeed at his new business, the more scared I became. Clearly, as a capable, intelligent person, he would find success no matter which path he chose. At the end, he cleverly manipulates the situation and ends up being admitted to Harvard (his main focus throughout the movie) while receiving no consequences for the drug-dealing he was forced into. Overall, Dope was a great movie and is well-worth the watch!