Yelling to the Sky (2011)

Jason Clarke, Tim Blake Nelson, Yolonda Ross, Antonique Smith, Shareeka Epps ... see more  , Zöe Kravitz , Tariq Trotter , Gabourey Sidibe , E.J. Bonilla , Sonequa Martin

A teenager struggles with a troubled family environment as she tries to make a life for herself in this independent drama. Sweetness O'Hara (Zoe Kravitz) is the seventeen-year-old daughter of a troubl... read more ed and ethnically diverse couple; her father (Jason Clarke), who is white, is caring but suffers from violent mood swings, while her African-American mother (Yolonda Ross) struggles with severe emotional issues that lead her to abandon the household. While Sweetness is pretty and bright, she attends a school dominated by youth gangs, and she's often the target of a band of streetwise girls led by Latonya (Gabourey Sidibe) who resent her for her light skin. While her school counselor (Tim Blake Nelson) believes she can make something of herself, Sweetness is more interested in immediate survival than her long-term future, and she allies herself with Roland (Tariq Trotter), who lures her into the world of drug dealing. Yelling To The Sky was the first feature film from writer and director Victoria Mahoney. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi