Moonlight co-writer Tarell Alvin McCraney used his life to inspire the OWN drama told from the point of view of Akili McDowell's David, a 14-year-old black boy from a "troubled" home who attends a gifted school. The Oprah Winfrey- and Michael B. Jordan-produced David Makes Man "is a lush, poetic lullaby about a community of working-class African-Americans in Miami, leaning on each other as they paw their way out of hardships external and emotional," says Malcolm Venable. "A type of singular, almost mystical artistic vision informs the story — and the stunning first episode bears traces of the same kind of mythical, surrealist overtures seen in Atlanta." Venable adds: "David Makes Man, like Moonlight, delights in showing African Americans in stunning, vivid color: blues, violets and the pale pastels of Miami juxtaposed against light and shadow techniques that add a texture and depth so pretty it almost hurts...David Makes Man starts strong and remains consistently unpredictable; should it stay on the edge it's created for itself, it'll remain a standout on a network with no shortage of prestige dramas."
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TOPICS: David Makes Man, Oprah Winfrey Network, Akili McDowell, Oprah Winfrey, Tarell Alvin McCraney