Emergency is out of this world hilarious but grounded in the reality of the Black experience. The film left me with many questions, such as: if a white man whispers the n*word in the woods does it still hurt my feelings, or, why is that minorities often do not have more white friends? The film addresses such questions with humor and humanity, but if you’re apprehensive about viewing Emergency for fear it will be some heavy-handed cultural thesis, don’t be. Director Carey Williams issues the cultural lessons in small doses, and primarily focuses on breathing life into the film’s starring odd couple — Donald Elise Watkins as “Kunle” and RJ Cyler as “Sean.”

In the film, overachieving college senior Kunle and his laidback pot-smoking best friend Sean have big plans to celebrate the start of spring break by being the first black students to attend every frat party in one night. After Sean secures tickets for the pair and Kunle finishes his big science project they begin to pregame for the night, but after walking into their living room they find an unconscious white girl who neither they nor their roommate Carlos (Sebastian Chacon) know. Too afraid to call the police due to the questionable optics of the situation, the trio eventually decides to take her to the hospital themselves, however, that is easier said than done with the mystery girl’s older sister hot on their tails in search of her.

Emergency is a comedy, but it has deeply emotional and dark moments as well, which kept me on my toes and the storyline moving at a brisk pace. Donald Elise Watkins gives a brilliant, and I mean categorically brilliant performance, delivering a heart-stopping moment of desperation in one scene and a moment of abject despair in another. I do not know who or what he was channeling, but in his meatier monologues, Watkins gave me chills and literally had me balling towards the end. The film primarily takes place over one night, however, it is the day after where I find myself returning to the most, an ending that is so satisfying visually and emotionally, showing the punishment for good deeds in a haunting way.

On the surface, Emergency appears to be something like an updated Weekend At Bernie’s, but the movie goes much deeper than that and addresses the fear and loathing of being a Black man; the internal and external struggles that inform the decisions, or indecisions, that one makes in life. Every moment of Emergency was a pleasant surprise and beneath every unturned unconscious girl there is a lesson to be learned.