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Poster for Light It Up

Light It Up

1999 · 99 min

A tense, earnest hostage drama that simmers with social frustration and builds to a tragic, emotional climax.

Directed by
Craig Bolotin
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Overview
On a winter day in a southside Queens high school, events collide and six students are suddenly in an armed standoff with the NYPD. At the school, classrooms freeze, teachers come and go, resources are scant.

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Directed by
Craig Bolotin
Genres
Drama, Thriller
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 3 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • isolation
  • justice
  • race
  • class
  • trauma
Places
  • big city
  • school
Era
contemporary
Audience
teen
Form
  • ensemble
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror1
Humour2
Realism7
Romance1
Tension7
Darkness6
Complexity4
Emotional weight7

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