'Selah and The Spades': Release date, plot, cast, trailer and all you need to know about the Amazon Prime drama
Amazon Prime Video's upcoming movie 'Selah and The Spades' takes place in a boarding school, where we follow Selah Summers, played by Lovie Simone, and the empire she has built herself in the elite environment. A story about power, high school politics and friendships, 'Selah and The Spades' is the story of a young girl's legacy and her obsession to pass it on successfully.
'Selah and The Spades' had made its world premiere as a NEXT selection at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Here is everything you need to know about the movie coming to Amazon Prime Video.
Release date
'Selah and The Spades' will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on April 17, 2020.
Plot
According to the official synopsis of the movie, "In the closed world of an elite Pennsylvania boarding school, Haldwell, the student body is run by five factions. Seventeen-year-old Selah Summers runs the most dominant group, the Spades, with unshakable poise, as they cater to the most classic of vices and supply students with coveted, illegal alcohol and pills."
"Tensions between the factions escalate and when Selah’s best friend and right hand Maxxie becomes distracted by a new love, Selah takes on a protégée, enamored sophomore Paloma, to whom she imparts her wisdom on ruling the school."
"But with graduation looming and Paloma proving an impressively quick study, Selah’s fears turn sinister as she grapples with losing the control by which she defines herself."
Cast
Lovie Simone as Selah
Newcomer Lovie Simone’s beautifully embodies both Selah’s publicly impeccable command and the internal fears and uncertainty that drive it. The actress is one to look out for because we can barely bring ourselves to focus on anything else in the trailer when she is on.
Jharrel Jerome as Maxxie
As Maxxie, Jerome plays the role of Selah's best friend. The actor is best known for appearing in 'Moonlight' and for playing the role of Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay's Netflix miniseries 'When They See Us', a role for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries.
Celeste O'Connor as Paloma
In Paloma's role, Celeste plays a young woman who is a promising prospect for Selah. The actress began her career with her first independent film, 'Wetlands'. 'Selah and the Spades' her second project.
Creators
Written and directed by Tayarisha Poe
The movie is created by first-time feature director Tayarisha Poe, who made her Sundance debut with the boarding school drama. At the time of the Sundance release, Poe had said the movie is immensely close to her and came from a very personal space.
"I went boarding school in Central Jersey and I loved it. It was a really formative experience for me. I think it was because of the independence that we had and that was the first time that I felt that way. There’s something that’s so particular to being a high schooler who lives away from home… I just wanted to try to just capture that feeling of living away from home and having that independence," she had said.
Trailers
You can watch the trailer for the Amazon Prime Original here:
There are five factions that run the underground life of the Haldwell School. At the head of the most powerful faction, The Spades, is Selah Summers, walking the fine line between being feared and loved. The trailer to 'Selah and the Spades' introduces viewers to the charismatic yet intimidating high school head honcho Selah, who is confronted with the reality of a future without control as the end of the school year approaches. In her feature debut, writer-director Tayarisha Poe immerses viewers in a heightened depiction of teenage politics.
Where to watch
'Selah and The Spades' will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video on April 17, 2020, onwards.
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