Actor and musician Tristian “Mack” Wilds makes an impressive short film directing debut with Wouldn’t Mean Nuthin. Writer’s block is a bitch! Being haunted by thoughts of an old muse? Even worse. Enter Les (Tristian “Mack” Wilds), a poet who barely cares about anything besides writing. After falling victim to a blockage (in love & creativity), his best friend Jordan (Joshua Neal) coerces him into a double date with Destiny (Shakia Dixon) and Jessica (DeShawn White)
As the date begins to lift his spirits (amongst other things), his ex, Nicole (Shannon Thornton), walks into the bar to everyone's surprise. Inspiration is like a wave, and if you aren't on your board when it hits, you might miss it. Surf's up. I’ve been a fan of Tristian Wilds since his breakthrough performance as Michael Lee on The Wire. Thus generally, anything he does, I'll support.
Wilds first dabbled in directing with a quadrant of long-form music videos to promote his sophomore album, After Hours. That project is where Wilds began his working relationship with Greg Cally, who, along with Nicholas Gray and Wilds, co-write Wouldn’t Mean Nuthin.
Wilds opens his film with a voiceover as he recites a poem, and we see a shot of his ex-girlfriend, Nicole.
Wilds then brings us into the double date, and it's clear that his character of Les isn't in at the moment. The handling of the date is organic, and in watching the film, I could relate to all of the characters. DeShawn White's brief arc for Jessica was remarkable as she finds a common interest with Les. In the roles of the more established couple of Jordan and Destiny, Joshua David Neal and Shakia Dixon bring great chemistry as two people who want to see their friends hit off.
I also want to credit the writers for they handle Nicole (Shannon Thornton). The script slowly reveals Nicole, and the moments that Thornton has on-screen are electric. Without going into spoilers, let's say that the actress alludes to confidence and the grace of a Black Queen. The writers gave Thornton a great monologue that I wanted to go on longer.
Along with his cast and crew, Tristan “Mack Wilds” has made an impressive film. If I had one gripe with the film, it would be the run time. I became fully invested in the characters and wanted to see more of them when the credits rolled.
Final Grade A-
Wouldn't Mean Nuthin is without a release date but you can view the trailer here : https://vimeo.com/641996331/956ae148b6