Color Book

2024 / Dir. David Fortune / 105 minutes

In David Fortune’s Color Book, grief takes center stage. The film follows a devoted father named Lucky who, after the passing of his wife, attempts to adjust his sails and raise his son Mason who has Down Syndrome. Desperate to connect and make something out of their new reality, the two embark on a journey to catch a Braves game only to experience one setback after another. But like any good adventure story, it quickly becomes less about the destination and more about the journey. Limits are tested, connection is made and broken, empathy is lost and found, and so on. It’s a film so unafraid of the messy stuff in life that it leaves you feeling lighter about your own shortcomings. But perhaps the film’s greatest superpower is its giant beating heart pulsing through every scene with astonishing weight and ease. I don’t know what’s next for Fortune or the film’s two leads, but I’ll follow them anywhere on their journey.

Watch if you like: C’mon C’mon, The Pursuit of Happyness, and watching the first buds bloom in the spring.