It's been ten years since Amy and Peter Edgar (Naomi Watts and Tim Roth) adopted a former child soldier from Africa when he was 10 and renamed him Luce, meaning “light,” in hopes that he would be a beacon of hope. Luce, the movie, sheds light, and heat, on timely, thorny issues. Kelvin Harrison Jr. remarkably embodies the title character who has transformed himself (with the help of his parents and years of therapy) into the perfect American success story at his high school in the picturesque suburb of Arlington, Virginia. He’s a model high school senior who’s bound for college. Not only is he the captain of the track team, the star of the debate team, and the valedictorian of his class, he seems to be adored by almost everyone in school: administrators, teachers, and students alike. But when he’s assigned to write an essay in the voice of an historical twentieth-century figure, Luce turns in a paper that makes an alarming statement about political violence. Worried about how this assignment reflects upon her star pupil, his African American teacher, Harriet Wilson, (Octavia Spencer), searches his locker and finds something that confirms her worst fears. The film, Luce, operates on multiple levels at once. At the center is the central mystery around Luce. How genuine and harmless is he? Is he predisposed to violence because of his background? Did he know about the items in his locker? But the discourse runs so much deeper. Every character is dealing with some struggle that tests the very fabric of our society. If it sounds dramatic, it is. But it’s never overwrought or sentimental. Kari Delossantos of Smash Cut Reviews says, “I can’t understate how thrilling it is to watch Luce. You’re kept guessing at every moment. In one scene late in the movie, a character breaks their usual demeanor for a split second in a way that is both endearing and completely terrifying. There are more of those moments throughout. Moments where you don’t know whether to laugh or cringe. If I was watching this on stage, I would applaud. Luce is made of those brilliant moments. Be ready for a ride.” And as another critic says, “It is, in a word, brilliant.” 1:49, rated R for language throughout, sexual content, nudity and some drug use.