Villain - An American Story

What I liked

The cast did an amazing job. I really believed everything that was happening.
The scene that split the room between the brother of the victim and the wife of the officer was incredibly symbolic. United by grief, it gave us a sense of distance and told the harsh truth that we still have a long way to go.

What I didn't like

Storywise, I would have liked just a little bit more. Ending ambiguously is always a safe play, as if to say “we all know how this story ends.” But I think they missed a chance to compel us even further with a scene between members of the two families- even if just by having a scene between the cop’s mother and the victim’s mother.

My overall impression

Villain was indeed an American story- a white cop shoots an unarmed black kid. A story we know all too well. As much knowledge on the topic as you can have, there’s still no way to prepare yourself for when it happens to you. One of the messages that they put forward so well with this play was that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows on the shooter’s end. We rarely get a look into the officers’ backstories and it was very interesting to see the grief behind the scenes in contrast to what we’re used to- sad family members of the victim and angry protesters that want to change the way things are.
The root of the entire problem is wrongful suspicion- and they nailed it.