A Thousand and One

Set in mid-1990s New York City, A Thousand and One follows Inez, a woman determined to live life on her own terms even as she moves between shelters. Her six-year-old son Terry is in foster care, and rather than lose him again, she takes him and sets out to raise him herself. As the years pass, their household grows and Terry becomes a bright, reserved teenager, but the secret at the heart of their family threatens the home they have built together.

The film is the first feature directed and written by A.V. Rockwell, produced by Brad Weston, Lena Waithe and Eddie Vaisman. Teyana Taylor leads the cast as Inez, with William Catlett as Lucky, Terri Abney as Kim Jones, and Josiah Cross, Aven Courtney and Aaron Kingsley Adetola playing Terry at different ages. Roughly 25 cast members and 51 crew members are credited.

Released in March 2023 and running 116 minutes, the crime drama earned about 3 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.9/10 from around 9,200 votes, and on TMDB 6.6/10 from about 160 votes, while a critics' rating stands at 8.1/10 from 129 reviews, notably higher than the audience scores.