Kings

Set in South Central Los Angeles just weeks before the Rodney King verdict ignites chaos, Kings follows a foster family trying to stay afloat amid simmering violence. Millie Dunbar, a determined foster mother, protects a small group of teens while navigating her own rules and loyalties. The neighborhood pressures her to bend, whether dealing with street trouble, school expectations, or the cruel realities of life on the edge. Enter Obie Hardison, a guarded social worker whose presence unsettles Millie and challenges the fragile balance of the house. Their uneasy dynamic unfolds against the rising tension in a community bracing for upheaval, as the kids cling to each other and to a fragile sense of home. The film uses intimate close ups and a restrained score to capture the tension.

Directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Kings was released in 2017 and is based on an original screenplay. The film stars Halle Berry as Millie Dunbar and Daniel Craig as Obie Hardison, offering an intimate look at a fractured city family.

Critics highlighted the performances, especially Berry's, and the way the film threads family duty through a city teetering on the edge of violence. The story foregrounds loyalty, resilience, and moral ambiguity as characters confront fear, protect one another, and wrestle with choices that blur right and wrong and moral choices.

Kings may not have become a global cultural phenomenon, but it sits in conversations about urban life, foster care, and communities under stress. Berry delivers a forceful portrait of motherhood under pressure, and the film contributes to dialogue about how ordinary families respond when social fractures widen for some viewers.

Box office figures for Kings reflect a limited release and modest uptake. While it didn't become a blockbuster, the film drew attention to its performers and premise, offering a focused, character driven look at a city in flux at release.