Independence Day Reviews

Interesting independent feature that started as a UCLA student thesis before being expanded to a feature-length production. Rosier and Burdett are a young black couple, newly arrived in Los Angeles from Tennessee. Rosier has just gotten out of prison and can't commit himself to marriage. He goes to work in a factory, and Burdett gets a job as a domestic. Then Rosier gets involved in a strike at his plant, and the two go their separate ways. She enrolls in school but is laid off from a fairly good job. The film ends with the two meeting once more, both aware of how much their lives have changed since their parting. Racial aspects are handled with sensitivity and do not overwhelm the plot. Roth handles his actors well, drawing out the story slowly and subtly.