The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain

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The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain.jpg
Film poster
Directed byDavid Midell
Written byDavid Midell
Produced by
  • David Midell
  • Enrico Natale [1]
  • Sharad Chib [1]
  • Chris Paladino [1]
  • Milan Chakraborty [1]
Starring
CinematographyCamrin Petramale
Edited byEnrico Natale
Music byGarrett Beelow
King Luck
Production
companies
Redbird Entertainment
Revelations Entertainment [2]
Distributed by Gravitas Ventures
Release dates
  • October 27, 2019 (2019-10-27)(Austin)
  • September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17)(United States)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain is a 2019 American thriller drama film written, produced and directed by David Midell and starring Frankie Faison as the real life titular character. It is based on the police shooting of Chamberlain that occurred on November 29, 2011, in White Plains, New York. Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary serve as executive producers of the film. [2]

Contents

Plot

Kenneth Chamberlain, an elderly veteran living in an apartment building, accidentally triggers his medical alert pendant early in the morning. Emergency services are dispatched, with three police officers arriving at his door. They tell Kenneth that they are there to check on his welfare. Kenneth--while keeping his door closed--informs them that he did not mean to call anyone, and that the medical alert was an accident. The police want to make "visual contact," insisting that they enter Kenneth's apartment. Kenneth refuses to open his door, making the police suspicious that there is something illegal happening inside (though there is not). Kenneth is highly nervous, convinced that the police will hurt him. Kenneth mumbles to himself, which the police misinterpret as someone else inside with him, further fueling their suspicions. One police officer wants to diffuse the situation and leave Kenneth in peace, but is reprimanded by his fellow officers.

The situation escalates and tensions rise. Backup is called in. Eventually, the police attempt to break into Kenneth's apartment by force. Kenneth insists that this is illegal and that the officers have neither a search warrant nor a probable cause to enter. Kenneth, panicking, uses a knife through the opening of the door to attempt to get the police to leave. One police officer calls Kenneth a racial slur. The police soon bust down Kenneth's door. They restrain him, tase him, and proceed to fatally shoot him.

Cast

Kristine Angela, Joey Ascaridis, Moira Begale, Nick Cardiff & Jared Winkler also play additional roles.

Release

The film made its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival in October 2019. [2] [3]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 97% of 32 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain draws on harrowing real-life events -- and Frankie Faison's remarkable performance -- for a scathing rebuke to a systemic failure." [4] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [5]

Accolades

The film won the Best Narrative Feature Award at the 24th Urbanworld Film Festival. [1]

AssociationDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipientsResultRef(s).
Independent Spirit Awards March 6, 2022 Best Male Lead Frankie Faison Nominated [6] [7]
Best Editing Enrico NataleNominated
Gotham Awards November 29, 2021 Outstanding Lead Performance Frankie FaisonWon [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Gardner, Chris (September 28, 2020). "Film About Kenneth Chamberlain, Black Man Killed by Police, Wins Top Prize at Urbanworld Fest". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 31, 2020). "Revelations Entertainment Boards Timely 'The Killing Of Kenneth Chamberlain' Feature As EPs". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  3. Chuba, Kirsten (March 3, 2021). "Berlin: Morgan Freeman Calls for Police Reform With Timely Drama 'The Killing Of Kenneth Chamberlain'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  4. "The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved July 25, 2025. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  5. "The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  6. Tangcay, Jazz; Lang, Brent (December 14, 2021). "Indie Spirit Awards 2022: Full List of Nominations". Variety. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  7. "These are the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominees". Film Independent. December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  8. Song, Katie (November 30, 2021). "Gotham Awards 2021: The Full Winners List". Variety. Retrieved November 23, 2024.