Back to trending
Luce

Luce

Drama · Thriller · 2019

A star athlete and top student, Luce's idealized image is challenged by one of his teachers when his unsettling views on political violence come to light, putting a strain on family bonds while igniting intense debates on race and identity.

Movie details

Luce

“The truth has many faces.”

2019 Drama · Thriller 1h 49m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

A star athlete and top student, Luce's idealized image is challenged by one of his teachers when his unsettling views on political violence come to light, putting a strain on family bonds while igniting intense debates on race and identity.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Luce?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Coldwater

Coldwater

Thriller · 2013

A teenage boy is sent to a juvenile reform facility in the wilderness. As we learn about the tragic events that sent him there, his struggle becomes one for survival with the inmates, counselors, and the retired war colonel in charge.

Rogue Agent

Rogue Agent

Thriller · 2022

Conman Robert Freegard poses as an undercover MI5 agent and kidnaps countless victims amidst a high-stakes manhunt, until the woman who fell for him brings him to justice.

The Good Neighbor

The Good Neighbor

Thriller · 2022

A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.

Tyler Perry's Duplicity

Tyler Perry's Duplicity

Thriller · 2025

High-powered attorney Marley faces her most personal case yet when she is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the murder of her best friend Fela’s husband. With the help of her boyfriend – a former cop turned private investigator – Marley’s search for what really happened leads her down a treacherous maze of deception and betrayal.

The Experiment

The Experiment

Thriller · 2010

20 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.

The Lords of Discipline

The Lords of Discipline

Drama · 1983

Will arrives for his last year at Military Academy, in the Deep South USA, in the 1960's. A black student, Pearce, has been accepted, for the first time and Will is asked to keep an eye out for the inevitable racism. The racists come in the form of The Ten, a secret group of the elite students. They want Pearce to leave on his own free will, but are prepared to torture him to make it 'his free will'. Will is forced to help Pearce and he is prepared to risk his own career to do so.

The Hummingbird Project

The Hummingbird Project

Thriller · 2019

A pair of high-frequency traders go up against their old boss in an effort to make millions in a fiber-optic cable deal.

A Dry White Season

A Dry White Season

Drama · 1989

During the 1976 Soweto uprising, a white school teacher's life and values are threatened when he asks questions about the death of a young black boy who died in police custody.

Lockdown

Lockdown

Drama · 2000

Avery (Jones) returns to college as a competitive swimmer after getting his life back on track. But his life takes another unexpected turn when he and his two friends (Bonds, Casseus) are wrongly accused of murder and end up in prison.

Little Boy Blue

Little Boy Blue

Drama · 1997

Living in rural Texas is a dysfunctional family: an abusive dad, a Vietnam vet with a war wound that's left him impotent; a compliant wife and a son of about 20, two small sons who look a lot like their brother. The dad harbors a secret, and he goes to murderous lengths to keep it hidden. The young man, Jimmy, who has suspicions, but little comes out until a Yankee woman comes to town.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Julius Onah

Written by

Julius Onah · J.C. Lee

Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Luce Edgar

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts

Amy Edgar

Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer

Harriet Wilson

Tim Roth

Tim Roth

Peter Edgar

Norbert Leo Butz

Norbert Leo Butz

Dan Towson

Andrea Bang

Andrea Bang

Stephanie Kim

Marsha Stephanie Blake

Marsha Stephanie Blake

Rosemary Wilson

Court is in session

Put Luce on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.