TIFF is in full swing and the time hath come for a look at Kevin Costner’s latest drama, Black And White, which makes its debut at the film festival tomorrow. The first teaser for the flick has landed online and is available to check out below. Co-starring Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer, the film explores the dynamics between a bi-racial family in the midst of a child custody battle.
In the film, Costner plays Elliot Anderson, an L.A. attorney mired in grief after the loss of his wife and daughter in a series of fatal accidents. He soon becomes the guardian of his biracial granddaughter Eloise, but not without a word from her paternal grandmother, Rowena, played by Spencer. Rowena takes Elliot through the ringer as she vies to reunite Eloise with her father, who’s a known drug user. Elliot becomes entangled in a lengthy court battle to ensure his granddaughter never has to suffer at the hands of her abusive birth father.
It’s a weighty topic that’s approached with surprising levity as evidenced by the short teaser. Furthermore, Costner appears to be back on top form, with his sensitive-yet-grizzled granddad who cares for his granddaughter proving he’s still got what it takes to captivate audiences.
With the power of Costner’s name having waned in recent years, with projects like Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and 3 Days To Kill, he’s taken much more of a vested interest in his newest work. Teaming up with his The Upside Of Anger director-writer, Mike Binder, the actor financed Black And White himself. It’s been a labour of love for him, and we’ll find out this week if his hard work paid off.