Imperial Dreams

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Imperial Dreams

2016

1h 27m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

92%

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13 Reviews

81%

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500+ Ratings

A reformed gangster's devotion to his family is tested when he is released from prison and returns to his old neighborhood.

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Shadow and Act Staff

Shadow and Act

With rich storytelling, fine acting, and captivating cinematography and score by Flying Lotus, the movie is a cinematic achievement.

Sep 13, 2022

Full Review

Inkoo Kang

MTV

Like the similarly quiet and thrumming Moonlight, Imperial is most affecting as an internal portrait of a young black man's struggle to embrace softness when the world tells him he has to be hard to survive.

Feb 6, 2017

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Malik Vitthal's first feature gives rich dramatic life to a piercingly analytical view of the American way of incarceration.

Apr 18, 2016

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Bernard Boo

Way Too Indie

More than any other gang movie in recent memory, Imperial Dreams sidesteps cliches and carves out a place of its own next to the best films in the genre.

Rated: 8/10

Mar 22, 2019

Full Review

Noah Welsh

Film Inquiry

Imperial Dreams does not have the buzzing beats or flashing lights of most L.A. stories. Because of this, its characters feel real and its payoffs are gripping.

Feb 23, 2017

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Renee Schonfeld

Common Sense Media

Dark yet inspiring tale has cursing, violence, drugs.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 14, 2017

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Stephen C

Success in just 1 hour and 27 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/30/25

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Erica G

Very realistic and heartfelt. I pushed this movie off for so long until I finally decided to watch. It’s tough to see a story like this, but it hits home in some ways and it was very well acted and told!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/27/25

Full Review

Audience Member

It's slow. We get it. It's not backed by mega-money, nor is it all loud action and screaming drama. We get that too... That's what makes it more real. It's layered with a number of issues facing people leaving prison. Boyega is cast so well for the lead role, and delivers a believable character, struggling to do the right thing when everything around him is pulling him to do wrong

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Imperial Dreams is deep and poignant and very often hard to watch. John Boyega was awesome. The story makes you think hard about your life and how sometimes you're fortunate to simply have what you have. It brought me to tears

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Wow this movie was powerful. It showed the struggle of a returning citizen trying to get away from the trappings of his old life, so he could make a better life for his son. He wants out so much but the prison of poverty, discrimination, and his past continue to place roadblocks in front of him.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/09/19

Full Review

Audience Member

Una leccion de vida, es el drama en el que nos sumerge el director Malik Booth, Una trama contundente es un retrato de supervivencia en el ghetto ,que el actor Jonh Boyega Logra concretar de manera acertada.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

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Imperial Dreams: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A reformed gangster's devotion to his family is tested when he is released from prison and returns to his old neighborhood.

Director: Malik Vitthal
Producer: Jonathan Schwartz, Andrea Sperling, Katherine Fairfax Wright
Screenwriter: Malik Vitthal, Ismet Prcic
Production Co: Super Crispy Entertainment, Sam Spiegel International Film Lab
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 1, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2017
Runtime: 1h 27m

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