Director: A.V. Rockwell
Mid-1990s Harlem sets the stage for this 2023 drama, built around a decision one mother makes out of love and desperation and the years of consequence that follow. A.V. Rockwell's feature debut stays close to its two central characters as the city around them keeps changing.
What is A Thousand And One about?
Inez has spent years moving between shelters in New York, unwilling to bend to a system that keeps failing her. When her six-year-old son Terry ends up in foster care, she can't bring herself to let him go a second time, so she takes him and starts building a life for the two of them under a new identity. The years pass, the neighborhood around them is rebuilt block by block, and Terry grows into a bright, guarded teenager who senses more about his own history than his mother realizes. The choice Inez made when he was small never really goes away; it just waits, reshaping how each of them sees home, trust, and each other as Terry gets closer to finding out the truth for himself.
Cast & crew
Teyana Taylor stars as Inez, with William Catlett as her partner Lucky. Josiah Cross, Aven Courtney, and Aaron Kingsley Adetola share the role of Terry at different ages, and Terri Abney, Delissa Reynolds, and Amelia Workman appear in supporting parts across the family's Harlem circle.
Context & significance
The film unfolds over roughly a decade, using New York's shifting skyline and changing housing landscape as a quiet backdrop to the family's story rather than a headline issue on its own. It premiered in 2023 and runs 116 minutes, structured in chapters that track Terry's growth from childhood into his teenage years.
Where & how to watch
A Thousand And One is available to stream on K-Time with a free account login; reading about the film here costs nothing. The platform is designed for Farsi-speaking viewers, and this title includes both a Persian dub and Persian subtitles.