A perfect way to officially launch the Sundance 2022, Emergency reimagines the Superbad formula through the lens of Blindspotting. Striking a well-oiled balance between drama and comedy, this riff on the “best friends on the verge of graduation” goes down some pretty harrowing rabbit holes, rarely pulling its punches as it explores prescient themes of racism, brotherhood, and Black excellence. Smartly-written, director Carey Williams’ killer debut explores black friendship and fraternity as straight-laced Kunle (Donald Watkins) and party animal Sean (RJ Cyler) prepare for a wild night of partying that goes off the rails in ways they never imagined.

On their way out to grind through seven epic parties all in one night, Kunle and Sean instead find a passed-out white girl face down in a pile of puke in their living room. They have no earthly idea who she is or where she came for. Their plans are decidedly turned upside down. With the help of stoner-astrophysicist roomie Carlos (Sebastian Chacon), the three men of color weigh their options. Can they risk calling 911 considering the – as Dennis Reynolds may say – “implications”? Three POC folk plus an unconscious white girl is not a formula any of them want to explain to the authorities. So they (misguidedly) misadventure their way through avoiding an encounter with the law while ensuring that the vomiting blonde ends up somewhere relatively safe. AKA not just on the lawn of some frat party.

Though tight friends, Kunle and Sean’s different approaches to life is reflected in how they want to handle the situation. Sean wants to GTFO of the encounter as swiftly as possible while Kunle is stuck weighing the moral responsibility for it all. As they bicker and banter, Emergency reveals two likable, well-written characters, each with their own baggage, and justifiably stuck in their ways. For his money, Carlos is just along for the ride. Ready with a fanny pack full of granola bars in case the munchies strike.

The specter of a police encounter haunts their every move. Each poor decision that the trio make on their way to salvage the night bringing them closer to capture – despite their innocence. Emergency at times warms over ideas found in Blindspotting, most notably the antagonist’s crippling fear of a police encounter, but there are enough new ideas to warrant this particular framing of law-related Black anxiety. The script from K.D Dávila manages to keep things relatively grounded, choosing the realistic dramatic route over the easy laugh. Character-driven, her work is an often stressful watch that can pivot from comedy to sincerity with ease.

There are a few choices the characters make that stain credulity – and everyone’s route to the end of the evening is rather circuitous – but there’s nothing quite as outlandish as your typical college comedy. Despite framing the story through a disaster that could only happen in college, it doesn’t feel bound to the simplicity of a college comedy. (I mean who hasn’t woken up on their neighbor’s floor in a pool of your own vomit, amiright?)

Emergency’s North Star is its powerful performances as both Donald Watkins and RJ Cyler make bids to be remembered long after the credits roll. Both slip into the skin of their characters with sincerity and without compromise but it’s the chemistry between the two that becomes transfixing and the bond that ties us to the film’s emotional core, no matter how off the rails the night gets.

CONCLUSION: A poignant, prescient ode to Black friendship, ‘Emergency’ is a killer dramedy from Carey Williams that explores the specter of a police encounter as two best friends navigate a tough situation. Smartly-written and performed with unwavering verve, ‘Emergency’ implodes the traditional college comedy