The absurdity of Moses’ dreams represents how ludicrous the notion of normalcy for black people has become in this nation. Morris and Armstrong deftly juxtapose Moses’ world against the matter-of-fact, impersonal, cruel government machinations. As a result, two types of humor playfully clash: biting sarcasm and goofy eccentricity. “That’s sexist. And heightist. And possibly offensive to pedophiles,” Kendra snaps at one of her colleagues. “Black targets are no longer cool,” an FBI agent states, then shrugs. “It’s not my fault. The cops have f****d the legal optics.”
And then there is the poetic/psychotic nonsense that Moses spouts. “Today, God talked to me through a duck,” he tells his children over lunch. When confronted by a confused banker, he informs him: “You should know that I descend from a long line of powerful bears.” If I had to pick a favorite “Mosism,” it would be between “You’re pure as the piss of a dove,” and “We will call out the dinosaurs. At the sound of the trumpet, they will come to our aid.”
“The actors have great fun with their lines…”
The actors have great fun with their lines but are given precious little background with which to work. Marchánt Davis convincingly plays determined and unhinged, while Anna Kendrick steals the show as the subversive FBI agent who may have a semblance of a heart. That said, The Day Shall Come is in such a mad rush to tell its story, it feels a bit, well, rushed – all these characters have so much potential, but end up being somewhat sketchily portrayed.
The same applies to the overall feature. Morris and Armstrong touch upon victimization, gentrification, prejudice, economic disparity, FBI corruption, and workplace sexism, among other issues, in barely 80-minutes. While not half as ambitious as Moses’ grand goals, that’s still a lot to tackle. Luckily, The Day Shall Come contains quintessentially “Jesse Armstrong” dialogue and sequences, such as the one involving a pentaphobe suspect (yes, he’s afraid of the number 5) and with such talent behind the scenes, it’s not that difficult to coast by for a fun time.
"…victimization, gentrification, prejudice, economic disparity, FBI corruption, and workplace sexism...in barely 80-minutes."
