Netflix has picked up Concrete Cowboy starring Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin. The film first premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. It is expected to debut on the streaming service in 2021.

It also stars Jharrel Jerome, Lorraine Toussaint, Byron Bowers, and Method Man. The film is inspired by the real-life Fletcher Street Stables, a Black urban horsemanship community in Philadelphia. It follows 15-year-old Cole (McLaughlin) who is taken to live with his estranged father Harp (Elba) in North Philadelphia, where he discovers the city’s vibrant urban cowboy subculture, which flourishes despite the surrounding poverty, violence and encroachment of gentrification.

Our TIFF review reads, “The performances from McLaughlin, Elba, Jerome and Touissaint are more than enough to keep you engaged, as well as the real-life Fletcher Street denizens […] After the film’s narrative concludes, the credits are devoted to the real-life subjects speaking about their history and what they are going through in the present-day. They breathe an air of authenticity into the film, adding to the larger message of community for this powerful ode to this neighborhood, subculture and the Black urban riders that are more than deserving of recognition.”

This is Netflix’s latest grab from TIFF, joining Halle Berry’s Bruised and Pieces of a Woman starring Vanessa Kirby.

 

Photo: Endeavor Content