On a humid Saturday night, a thick crowd trickled into Overtown’s Historic Lyric Theater for the premiere of “The Reject.” Directed by Bla G and Yonel Aris, the biopic portrays Miami-Dade Commissioner Kionne McGhee’s childhood struggle of poverty, systemic trauma, and the stigma of neurodiversity. The screening was a stand-out event at the Urban Film Festival, a three-day event focused on educating, exposing, and providing distribution opportunities for Miami’s new generation of diverse filmmakers.
Produced by Florida Film House and Romeo Miller’s Romeoland Studios, the film features Miller as the pivotal Coach Spencer and Kamal Ani-Bello as McGhee. Set in the backdrop of a South Miami-Dade public housing community, the film follows McGhee’s journey throughout his childhood underscored by crippling poverty, a failing education system, and the battle he faced as a young African American child diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and a developmental delay. Although he’s grounded by his unrelenting single, Christian mother who works as a bean picker, McGhee begins to succumb to the pressure of living in a violent community and starts to act out as a teenager.
His fighting lands him at two different high schools before he’s ultimately placed at South Dade Senior High School where he meets his life-altering mentor Coach Spencer, a former Florida State University wrestler and wrestling coach who steers him on the right path. A product of the same environment as McGhee, Coach Spencer recognizes his plight and challenges him to take his education seriously and to find a healthier outlet for his aggression. He takes the place of his absent father and molds McGhee into a young man destined for greatness. While McGhee is fostering a father-son relationship with Coach Spencer, he’s also tutored by his astute girlfriend who helps him raise his GPA from a failing 1.1 to a graduation eligible 1.9. Right before he’s set to graduate, tragedy strikes when Coach Spencer dies from a heart condition and his girlfriend breaks up with him before they start college. A determined McGhee eventually goes on to earn his bachelor’s degree from Howard University and a Juris Doctorate from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law.
After the film ended, Kionne McGhee was introduced on stage to thunderous applause and a standing ovation. He punctuated the underlying narrative of his compelling story, saying “neurodiversity is a gift. When you weaponize differences it creates a traumatic experience. Men internalize our emotions and then externalize our behaviors. When we externalize our behaviors, there’s systems and traps waiting for us.”
He added: “‘The Reject’ is a celebration of a movement we’re creating. It’s not about Black or white or Hispanic or Asian, it’s about doing the right thing. Society tells us to fit in but it’s not about fitting in. It’s about standing out and that’s what we’re doing with this movie.”
After introducing the Miami-based cast, Miller concluded McGhee’s sentiments on the importance of showcasing diverse African American stories: “I wanted to do something that’s forever. And what’s forever? Real stories. Your life is going to change lives.”
Apart from his production projects, Romeo Miller is set to star alongside China Anne McClain in the upcoming Christmas comedy film, “Brewster’s Millions: Christmas.” Written and directed by Patricia Cuffie-Jones, the film is a follow-up to the popular 1985 comedy film “Brewster’s Millions” starring Richard Pryor. Fans can stream the movie on BET+ on December 5th.
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