"Emergency" Is a New Kind of Coming-of-Age Movie

Amazon Prime just dropped the trailer for a coming-of-age movie that promises to be unlike any other. Titled "Emergency," the film features three college seniors who are POC — Sean (RJ Cyler), Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins), and Carlos (Sebastian Chacon) — who are left to deal with a complex situation when they find a drunk white girl passed out on the floor of their living room after a series of fraternity parties.

Perhaps the most harrowing part of the "Emergency" trailer is that the storyline, while played up in a theatrical sense, touches upon real life. The three boys worry about calling the police and what would happen if an unconscious white girl is found in their room. "The cops are not going to listen; they're just going to come in here and see three brown guys hanging over this little white girl," Sean tells Kunle upon discovering the girl for the first time. Concepts like Black excellence and police violence are also brought up within the first few minutes of the trailer. At first glance, the film definitely delivers on the modern coming-of-age vibe and aesthetic. The characters are endearing and relatable and feel authentic in their conversations and humor.

Written by Oscar nominee Kristen "KD" Dávila and directed by Carey Williams, "Emergency" has already been met with high praise after its premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. "It's interesting, because I did not grow up like Kunle. I grew up more like Sean . . . [But] I think his innocence was something that really attracted me because I didn't have that in my own life," Watkins previously told POPSUGAR. "When you talk about seeing Black men allowed to be full-range-of-motion characters and not just playing at one or two things, I love that it allows us to be vulnerable. You don't see that a lot with young Black men."

Ultimately, Watkins hopes audiences walk away from "Emergency" with a new point of view. "I hope that [viewers] can see a difference in perspective and it sparks a conversation and can change something." The movie also features familiar faces like Sabrina Carpenter, Maddie Nichols, and Madison Thompson. Check out the full trailer above, and head over to Amazon Prime for the premiere on May 27.