A Perfect Family in turmoil... A son who is determined to fix it by any means
Features: DVD
Ritual is a powerful psychological drama written and directed by Stanley Bennett Clay, based on his award-winning stage play. Ritual stars Clarence Williams III (The General's Daughter), Denise Nicholas (CBS-TV In The Heat of the Night), Angelle Brooks (The VIPs), and Shawn Michael Howard (Above the Rim). Leon Becker (Clarence Williams III) is a successful and wealthy Malibu attorney and the patriarch of a seemingly perfect and harmonious family. Leon sees his brood not only as the pinnacle of personal achievement, but also as an example to all that the great American Dream is attainable, even if you are Black. But underneath the surface, the Beckers are a family in crisis. Leon is completely oblivious to the trials and tribulations that exist in his home and is equally detached from his ethnic soul. Wife and mother Sylvia (Nicholas) is on the verge of alcoholism and is threatened by her daughter Teresa (Brooks), a cunning "Electra" who seems to want to replace her in the house and, perhaps, the bedroom. And Becker's brooding son Mason (Howard) drops out of his Ivy League school and returns home to confront his family's problems. Yet, all these trials-by fire are the challenges along the path to survival for this American family.
Editor's Note
A psychological domestic drama, RITUAL tells the story of the Becker family, a seemingly shining example of the American dream. Leon Becker is a wealthy attorney at the head of his flawless household: beautiful wife, doting daughter, and son in attendance at an ivy league college. But while he views his achievement as an example that success is possible for all in the black diaspora, he is becoming increasingly alienated from that community. All is not so well at home, either, as his wife descends into an alcoholism he refuses to recognize, and his daughter's affections seem less innocent than they should be. When Leon's gay son Mason drops out of college to come home in an attempt to redeem his family, he is forced to confront the issues head-on.
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