Onyx Collective announced the release date for Miles Warren’s feature debut Bruiser starring Jalyn Hall, Shamier Anderson, and Trevante Rhodes. The feature which takes a hard look at the effects of toxic masculinity on a boy desperate for paternal guidance will premiere February 24, 2023 on Hulu.
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Bruiser centers fourteen-year-old Darious (Hall) has a lot going for him. His sometimes stern father, Malcolm (Anderson), works hard to keep his car dealership afloat and put Darious through private school, while Darious’ more even-keeled mother, Monica (Shinelle Azoroh), does her best to make sure her son always has someone he can talk to. But there are things Darious doesn’t know how to talk about.
When a kid beats him up, humiliating him in front of his crush, he runs into the woods, where he meets Porter (Rhodes), a charismatic man with a hulking physique who lives alone on a houseboat. The pair become fast friends, with Porter offering to teach Darious how to defend himself. What Darious doesn’t know is that Porter is his biological father, and abandoned Monica before he was born. Porter wants to make amends and be part of the boy’s life, but his return dredges up a secret history of brutality.
Onyx Collective president Tara Duncan said in a statement to Deadline:
“I was immediately drawn to the depth and emotion in every shot of Miles’s award-winning short film. He is an impressive burgeoning artist, and Onyx Collective is the home for filmmakers with something urgent to say. Bruiser is an incisive coming-of-age story about manhood, masculinity, and the complexity of male friendship and love. I am thrilled the festival has recognized Bruiser as part of their Discovery program, and look forward to the world seeing and discussing this film.”
This is the first narrative movie that has been acquired by Onyx Collective, which has previously released “Summer Of Soul” and the upcoming Hulu/Star Original series, “Reasonable Doubt”.
The film will stream on Hulu in the U.S, on Star+ in Latin America and on Disney+ in all other territories.