Norman Loftis’ Messenger resonates with a gritty, verite style that stakes out territory missing from Hollywood’s recent spate of films detailing black life.

In this urban remake of Vittorio DeSica’s The Bicycle Thief, director Norman Loftis presents the story of Jeff (Richard Barboza), a career criminal who gets a job with a courier service as part of his new life on the straight and narrow. But securing the job means owning a bicycle, which he can only afford by pawning his wife’s wedding ring. When a local hood steals the bike, Jeff has no choice but to track down the thief, a process that puts his marriage and resolve to stay clear of his former criminal life to the ultimate test.

Like Loftis’ earlier film "Small Time," "Messenger" is equal parts urban drama and art-house polemic with New York City holding court as an often dangerous societal vortex, where trouble and temptation bedevil even the most committed of souls.

Starring: Richard Barboza, Carolyn Kinebrew, Scott Ferguson
Written, Produced & Directed By, Norman Loftis