A drug dealer dies, wakes up, and uncovers a massive government cloning conspiracy.
In short: In the suburban neighborhood of the Glen, a hustler named Fontaine is shot dead, only to reappear the next morning with no memory of the event. Alongside an unlikely duo, he descends into a hidden underground world where behavioral experiments and mass-produced clones threaten the identity of an entire community.
Directed by Juel Taylor in his feature debut, the 2023 film They Cloned Tyrone blends science fiction, mystery, and satire. The story follows Fontaine, played by John Boyega, who discovers that his neighborhood is the site of a sprawling, sinister operation. Alongside Slick Charles and Yo-Yo, he uncovers that residents are being surveilled and manipulated through substances hidden in food, drinks, and hair products. The conspiracy is designed to achieve a twisted version of peace by whitewashing Black populations through mind control and generational breeding.
The film draws heavy inspiration from 1970s Blaxploitation cinema, utilizing a stylized aesthetic that reflects the personalities of its leads. Critics have noted the film's thematic depth, with some comparing its conspiratorial premise to the real-life Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which occurred between 1932 and 1972. While some reviewers found the narrative occasionally uneven or too conceptual, others praised its ability to tackle internal conflicts and the pressure to conform to racist narratives, distinguishing it from other contemporary satirical works.
Production for the film began in Atlanta in November 2020, following a development process that started in 2019 when the script was optioned from The Black List. The film premiered at the 27th American Black Film Festival in June 2023 before its Netflix release. With a 95% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it is widely regarded as a clever, provocative entry in the genre-bending landscape of modern cinema, anchored by the performances of Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: They Cloned Tyrone
- Also: Wikidata — They Cloned Tyrone · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — They Cloned Tyrone · CC0
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