The Grand Illusion

A landmark of independent cinema, COMPENSATION is Zeinabu irene Davis’s moving, ambitious portrait of the struggles of Deaf African Americans and the complexities of loving relationships at the bookends of the twentieth century. In extraordinary dual performances, Michelle A. Banks and John Earl Jelks play Malindy and Arthur, a couple in 1910 Chicago, as well as Malaika and Nico, a couple living in the same city almost eighty years later. Their stories are deftly interwoven through the creative use of archival photography, an original score featuring ragtime and African percussion, and an editing style both lyrical and tender.

Malindy, an industrious, intelligent dressmaker, falls for Arthur, an illiterate migrant from Mississippi, along the shore of Lake Michigan. On the same beach in the present, Malaika, an inspired and resilient graphic artist, softens before a brash yet endearing children’s librarian, Nico. Each pair faces the obstacles of their time as Black Americans, including structural racism and emerging pandemics.

COMPENSATION remains a groundbreaking story of inclusion and visibility that bears witness to the social forces and prejudices that stand in the way of love.

In English and American Sign Language with English subtitles.

Critic’s Pick! “It is the loves, labors and vulnerabilities two couples in two different eras experience that make this black-and-white film from 1999 such an elegant and presciently inventive work.” Lisa Kennedy, The New York Times

4/4 stars! “[Director] Davis’ visionary approach—which imagines deafness and Black life in infinitely gentle terms—spellbindingly brings us into a soulful world.” Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com

“Compensation is an important achievement, illuminating and captivating, and it deserves the chance to reach the widest audience possible.” Kevin Thomas, The Los Angeles Times